Anna’s Listening! Week 2

December 8, 2022

It has been a pleasure to delve into the music of Miguel del Aguila and Ruth Gipps. This week I have been thinking about musical thumbprints as the individual voices are clear with these two composers.

Miguel del Aguila is someone that I am thrilled to learn more about. A three-time Grammy nominated composer, his music has been consistently fun and interesting to listen to as his music offers a clear sense of his South American roots. Miguel writes that his music “expresses my humanity, my times, my geography and my Latin heritage….The story that my music is telling determines its sound and form.” I definitely get this from his compositions. Standout pieces for my initial perusal of his compositions are Clarinet Concerto, The Fall of Cuzco, and The Giant Guitar.

Ruth Gipps was one of the most prolific British composers at the time of her death. She wrote five symphonies, seven concertos, and numerous chamber and choral works. She founded both the London Repertoire Orchestra and the Chanticleer Orchestra, and served as music director for the City of Birmingham Choir. She considered herself an honorary male and preferred to NOT emphasize and align herself with the “women left behind.” Unfortunately, being forgotten for years is exactly what happened. Gipps is a brilliant orchestrator and her music is terrific! I love all of her symphonies, though her stand out compositions for me are Symphony No. 2, Concerto for Horn op. 58, and Seascapes.

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