Coates and Moeran: Violin Concertos

RARE BRITISH MUSIC!!
Runner-up, Concerto category, Classic Record Collector Awards 2006

Colin Sauer (violin) with the BBC Northern Orchestra* conducted by Sir Charles Groves:
VIOLIN CONCERTO in D (1934) by Douglas Coates

(live broadcast performance 1951)

Alfredo Campoli (violin) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult:
VIOLIN CONCERTO (1937-41) by E J Moeran
(live broadcast performance 1954)

* now the BBC Philharmonic

A ONE AND ONLY…
In 1951, the BBC was under the spell of modernism and the Second Viennese School and was awfully dismissive of anything approaching tonality as many veteran composers can attest. So it was that after recording a live broadcast of the unashamedly tuneful and Romantic Violin Concerto by English composer Douglas Coates, the harsh comments about ‘obsolete and meaningless music’ from conductor Charles Groves and the program producers so upset the composer that on his way home he disposed of score and parts (the only copies) into the Thames. As the BBC did not record the concert, the work was totally lost to posterity. Until by a trillion-to-one chance, a collector came across a set of studio acetate discs in a junk shop marked only ‘Coates Concerto’. Long story short – after two years of research and audio restoration of the discs (again the sole copy in existence), producer Stephen Sutton at Divine Art Records was able to release the recording on his Historic Sound label also including a 1950 Adrian Boult performance of the Moeran concerto.

The one and only performance in remarkable though of course ‘vintage’ sound. End of story and a very popular album. Except that a music fan has been in touch with some news: he was born in Coates’ home town; his wife was actually present at the performance (in Manchester), spent time with the composer and conductor, and (having just discovered the said recording) 69 years later, these wonderful people intend to have the score reconstructed (an expert has been identified..) so that this vibrant work can once again see the light of the concert hall. If the reconstruction is successful the plan is for it to be published by Divine Art and hopefully a gala performance will take place in London at some point.