On the 3rd and 4th November, Lucian Plessner and the Philharmonisches Orchester Plauen-Zwickau performed Stephen Dodgson’s Concerto No. 2 for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra, a work very close to his heart. Here he tells us more about his experience and the back story of the concerto. “I don’t remember exactly which year the CBS Masterworks record featuring Stephen Dodgson’s 2nd guitar concerto was released with John Williams and the ECO under Sir Charles Groves. I asked Sony, but they couldn’t find out either. It must have been in the late 1970s or early ’80s. I do remember very clearly though […]
We are delighted to announce a new recording on the Naxos label – the first four sets of harpsichord Inventions by Stephen Dodgson. Professor Glen Wilson, who set up the project in collaboration with the Stephen Dodgson Charitable Trust, gives us an insight into the music, the performer and the process of setting up the recording Masterpieces performed by a master harpsichordist “A major step towards a wider dissemination of Stephen’s important corpus of harpsichord music was taken this September (2016) when the first four sets of his Inventions, 24 pieces in all, were recorded in Würzburg, Germany, by a brilliant […]
2015-16 sees Toccata Classics produce five new recordings of Stephen Dodgson chamber works. Below, Stephen’s widow, the harpsichordist Jane Clark Dodgson, gives her perspective on the music and the talented artists performing it. “It is very exciting for me, as Stephen Dodgson’s widow, to report that Toccata Classics will be releasing a series of recordings of his chamber music – which at the moment looks like being five albums. Allow me to outline what you can look forward to. The first of this series, just released, is of his music for cello and piano, played by Evva Mizerska and Emma […]
We are excited to announce the release of the complete works for cello and piano by Stephen Dodgson performed by cellist Evva Mizerska and pianist Emma Abbate, for whom several of the works were written. The works present Stephen’s musical personality in a nutshell. The style is direct but rich in allusion, from Purcell to Janáček, with a lively, sometimes brittle, sense of humour adding a Shostakovichian irony, all fused together in an elegant, individual voice. And the remarkable clarity of the instrumental textures underlines a strong sense of narrative, with the cello almost as a human voice, unfolding its […]
We’re thrilled to discover that Craig Ogden will be playing two movements from Stephen’s Partita No.1 on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune this Monday (3rd October) as part of Radio 3’s residency at the South Bank. Hear it in person at the Royal Festival Hall foyer or tune your ‘sets’ in at 4.30pm! Craig also performed two of Stephen’s partitas at the last Barnes Music Festival and will be performing Stephen’s ‘Watersmeet’ for solo guitar and guitar ensemble at the same festival on 24th March next year. No related posts.
We at the Stephen Dodgson Charitable Trust are delighted to announce planned release of five new commercial recordings on the Toccata Classics label of works spanning Stephen Dodgson’s lifetime. The discs will be: 1. Complete works for cello and piano (played by cellist Evva Mizerska and pianist Emma Abbate) 2. String quintet and two piano quintets (played by the Tippett Quartet, cellist Susan Monks and pianist Emma Abbate) 3. Dodgson oboe collection including music for oboe and piano, oboe and harp, songs with oboe obbligato and the Cor Anglais Sonata featuring oboist James Turnbull (oboist) Robyn Allegra Parton (soprano), Eleanor Turner (harp) and […]
The Magnard Ensemble and a cast of soloists perform Stephen Dodgson’s short chamber opera Cadilly alongside his Sonata for Wind Quintet at Conway Hall. Cadilly, based on one of the Tales from the Fens by W. H. Barrett, tells the story of a beautiful woman and ‘willing maid’ who is loved by the scholars, their tutors and the townsmen alike but jailed for ‘immoral behaviour’! A vibrant and comic piece. Programme Dodgson – Sonata Gipps – The Lady of the Lambs Vaughan Williams – Ten Blake Songs for Soprano and Oboe Arnold – Three Shanties Dodgson – Cadilly Pre-concert talk – 5.30pm Concert – 6.30pm Tickets will be available via[...]
The Outcry Ensemble and English Voices perform Stephen Dodgson’s full-scale upper-voice Hymn Harmony at St John’s Smith Square alongside other works by Gibbons, Vaughan Williams and Coleridge-Taylor. The evening constitutes the final concert of their ‘Music for a Great City’ series, which explores the essence of a city as portrayed through its music, its history, its people and their perpetual sense of spirit through a rich variety of pieces. Directed by James Henshaw and comprised of young, exceptionally skilled professionals poised to become the next generation of global orchestral leaders, The Outcry Ensemble brings together vibrant energy and captivating performances. Their repertoire programming[...]
The much admired wind group the Magnard Ensemble return to Luton with a programme particularly featuring Stephen Dodgson’s Promenade No.2. Richard Sisson (Chair of Luton Music): ‘Stephen was for many years associated with Luton Music, generously giving his time to serve as a Vice-president. 2024 is the centenary of his birth and it is an honour to programme this fine piece in his memory.’ Programme Sergei Rachmaninov (arr. McDermid) – Prelude in E flat Major Op 23 No.6 Martin Butler – Down-Hollow Winds Stephen Dodgson – Promenade No.2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (arr. Shiner) – Rondo in A minor K511 Samuel Barber – Summer[...]