Mark Eden's guitar provides the recording’s ear-catching opening with the Four Poems of John Clare [sung by] James Gilchrist... Elsewhere, pianist Christopher Glynn adroitly elicits the diverse character of each song, emphatic and unruly in Irishry, yet inscrutably supporting soprano Ailish Tynan’s sublimely ethereal ‘Psyche’ from Tideways... Roderick Williams is typically captivating in the storytelling of the Bush Ballads... These approachable, sometimes quirky vignettes could hardly have better advocates.
An excellent aspect of this disc is that we have a wide variety of star-studded voices adding interest throughout with the guitar (for which Dodgson was brilliant at writing) and recorder. In all there are 26 songs here and that includes five cycles and these are, attractively, divided between the voices. The texts stretch from light verse through Gerard Manley Hopkins and Walter de la Mare. In the accompanying essays, Dodgson’s style and language is neatly summed up as ‘a tonal-based inspiration and a natural creative communicative desire’, although Matthew-Walker does add that Dodgson clearly has his own personal voice. And, one must agree with him that Dodgson has been ‘unfairly neglected’.
The album’s title is owed to Stephen Dodgson, eight delightful vignettes, beautifully crafted, which fall on grateful ears. Throughout, Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins play as one, with dedication and shared pleasure.
Captured in beguilingly immediate sound that creates the impression of Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins playing in your living room, this is a recording I have already returned to several times simply for the pleasure of hearing two players at the top of their game.
We're delighted to announce that guitarist Sungbin Cho has won second prize at the Royal Academy of Music's concerto competition with Stephen Dodgson's Guitar Concerto No. 1. Cho also won the International Guitar Competition in October with a programme which featured Dodgson's Partita No. 1.
Announcing the release of 'Tournament for Twenty Fingers', a collection of piano duets performed by Julian Perkins and Emma Abbate, featuring the Dodgson suite by the same name and his Sonata for piano duet alongside works by Berkeley, Arnell and Lambert.
Reflections from the performers of Dodgson's Cadilly. 'The overriding thing is his sense of humour, even in the most profoundly beautiful moments.' 'Whatever the mood or character, whatever the scene is, there is such a clear picture painted through the textures and the colours in instruments and the vocalists.' 'It's very colourful music – expect the unexpected!'
Pianist Osman Tack performs a lunchtime recital comprising Stephen Dodgson’s richly delightful Eight Fanciful Pieces and Schubert’s highly demanding Wanderer Fantasy at All Saints Parish Church, High Wycombe. Tack recently recorded the former as part of complete Dodgson piano CD, which is being released in 2024 to mark Stephen Dodgson’s centenary.
Join the Mēla Guitar Quartet in a wonderfully eclectic evening hosted by the Luton Music Club featuring Stephen Dodgson’s Change-Ringers alongside works by Philip Houghton and Laura Snowden and arrangements of Bach, Debussy, Ravel, Glinka, Milhaud, Bizet, Sain-Saëns, and Brubeck and Desmond. The quartet recently recorded Change-Ringers as part of a delightful collection of Dodgson guitar chamber works. Programme Camille Saint-Saëns – Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah arr. Bovey Claude Debussy – Deux Arabesques arr. Tarlton Andante con Moto; Allegretto Scherzando Phillip Houghton – Opals (1995) Black Opal; Water Opal; White Opal J.S. Bach – Organ fugue BWV 578 arr. Mēla Mikhail Glinka – Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture arr.[...]