classcd274 Arthur Butterworth -Symphony No. 1 Op. 15 + Ruth Gibbs -Symphony No. 2 Op. 30 *Münchener Symphoniker - Conductor: Douglas Bostock. Total Time 64:15. Numbers: I: Allegro Molto Moderato Ruth Gipps (1923-1999) devoted her whole life to music but her contribution to British Music is largely uncelebrated, which is something of a tragedy given that her vision, enthusiasm and practical and artistic contributions to the British music scene were considerable. She was a gifted performer on piano and oboe and a composer of considerable stature and output. Gipps studied composition at the Royal College of Music with Vaughan Williams (a great influence on her own style) and Gordon Jacob, and the oboe with Leon Goossens. During the War she established close ties with Birmingham where she was a full-time orchestral musician with the C.B.S.O., which premiered many of her works including her 2nd Symphony. Her compositions, though popular with audiences, were not really given the attention which they deserved emerging as they did at a time when the musical establishment was veering towards serialism and the avante-garde developments in the 60's and 70's and before its hostile attitude to women composers had begun to change. Ruth Gipps died only recently aged 78. Arthur Butterworth MBE - 75 last year, has been well-known as a composer in his native North of England for many years. His first two symphonies were premiered by the Halle Orchestra (under Barbirolli and Boult, respectively), and the Symphony No. 1 also featured in a Henry Wood Promenade Concert in 1958. Butterworth has composed significant works for the thriving Brass Band tradition, in addition to concertos for Organ, Cello and Violin - the latter given it's professional premiere by Nigel Kennedy - and numerous other orchestral and chamber works, a recently completed string quartet being his 100th opus! Born in Manchester in 1923, Butterworth entered the Royal Manchester College of Music after the war, at the age of 24, to study composition and trumpet. His mature compositional style is influenced primarily by Sibelius, Nielsen, Elgar and other English composers of a previous generation. The north country, its poetry and its art is the major inspirational source of Butterworth's music. The British Symphonic Collection Douglas Bostock and the Münich Symphony Orchestra (vols 1-7) Originally planned as a 10 Volume Series which we believe to be one of the most significant musical journeys through British music of the 20th Century, the series has now become "open ended" and will stand as an important milestone ranking with the great recordings of British music to be found in the catalogues of EMI, Decca, Lyrita, Hyperion and Chandos. World premiere recordings will feature in every volume - An exciting musical adventure not to be missed! Douglas Bostock conducts the Munich Symphony Orchestra throughout the first seven volumes of this series, after which other orchestras enetr the picture. Bostock was a pupil of both Adrian Boult and Bryden Thomson and, as one of the most outstanding British conductors of his generation, has the perfect background for this important musical project. He has recorded extensively for the Classico label specialising in French, Czech and British repertoire. Classico has recently signed a recording contract with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for Bostock to record, new authorised versions of the Carl Nielsen Symphonies. He has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra and regular Guest Conductor of the Chamber Philharmonic of Bohemia since 1991 and enjoys an international conducting career on three continents. DOUGLAS BOSTOCK was born in Cheshire in 1955. He was educated at Sheffield University and in London with Sir Adrian Boult. Bostock names his mentors as Sir Charles Groves, James Loughran and Bryden Thomson who was also his friend and teacher. He was one of the last private pupils of Boult during his final years. In addition to teaching technique Adrian Boult was a wonderful source of first hand information about music by Holst, Vaughan Williams, Elgar - the British composers. The inspiration for the British Symphonic Collection sprang initially from a desire by Douglas Bostock to record something by Gordon Jacob with whom he corresponded towards the end of Jacob's life. A conversation with Peter Olufsen, President of the Danish company Classico, resulted in the recording on the Classico label of three works by Gordon Jacob and the subsequent launch of the ten volume British Symphonic Collection project. Bostock talks passionately about this series. His commitment and enthusiasm for the musical works which he has spent time and energy researching raises this series beyond a mere commercial venture to a personal journey through British music of the 20th century. Bostock is as enthusiastic about discovering the new in the familiar as he is when he unearths some long forgotten and previously unrecorded work. Bostock says that "…it is important to let each score speak for itself, to paint its own picture and to let the score lead the way." Bostock's musical integrity is indisputable.