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Eight Fanciful Pieces are quite charming, with an air of impressionism about them. In Three Impromptus, we discover a more original and challenging mind at work. The Allegro is dramatic and quirky, one might say. The Andante semplice in 6/8 time is unpredictable, so it readily holds one’s attention. The ‘staccato-like dance’ of the Allegretto finale has touches of bi-tonality, wit and humour. Osman Tack brings it out wonderfully. Dodgson composed the Six Bagatelles when he was in his early 80s. This is a fascinating, mature and confident language. A very well filled disc.

It has been a pleasure to encounter this third issue of his music from the confident and enterprising chamber choir, Sonoro. Dodgson’s scores are assured and individual, while being somewhat akin to Leighton (especially in the writing for organ) or late Howells, and the superb settings of Coleridge and Herrick undoubtedly deserve far greater dissemination.

Pianist Osman Tack finds plenty of character in the charming ‘Eight Fanciful Preludes’ (1956), I enjoyed the zany ‘Crazy Kate’ and the limping off-kilter ‘Il Zoppo’ (‘The Cripple’). The ‘Four Moods of the Wind Suite’ (1968) is impressionistic, while the ‘Six Bagatelles’ Set 2 (1998-2005) are occasionally dark and disturbing. The ‘Three Impromptus’ (1962, revised 1985) and Piano Sonata No.7 (2003) exhibit Dodgson’s quirky tonal style, the type once called “wrong-note romanticism”. The recording, made at Potton Hall, is clear, spacious and impressively life-like.

We're delighted to announce the release today of new recording Canticle of the Sun on the SOMM label. The performances are given by the chamber choir Sonoro, one of the UK’s foremost vocal ensembles. The selection of works, all of them first recordings, reveals in Dodgson a genuine composer for voices – one of abundant gifts, and special among them a sensitive approach to word-setting.

Stephen Dodgson was an accomplished and highly professional composer. The demands of his solo music for piano make it clear that he had a complete understanding of the instrument’s potential. And he unfailingly maintains the listener’s interest. Robert Matthew-Walker’s excellent notes guide the listener through this wide selection and Osman Tack is the very accomplished pianist who has complete mastery of the formidable technical difficulties, and the challenging emotional landscape, occupied by this music.

We’re delighted to announce the SOMM Recordings release on 20th April of ‘Mirage’, a recital of piano music by Stephen Dodgson performed by Osman Tack in his impressive label debut. Featuring 24 first recordings, Mirage is the third volume in a series marking the 10th anniversary of Dodgson’s death in 2013, and celebrates a composer of “urbane and civilised” music, as Robert Matthew-Walker describes it in his informative booklet notes. The recital spans seven decades from 1956’s ‘Eight Fanciful Preludes’ – “a judiciously varied suite… bound by the directness of utterance that so distinguished Dodgson’s music” – to his second […]

On 15th March, the RWCMD put on a concert of Dodgson guitar and woodwind chamber and solo works. It was wonderful to hear the pieces come off the page and very exciting to hear this talented group of young musicians taking real risks with the music and finding many layers of nuance.

The intimate one-hour concert from award-winning guitarist Jack Hancher took us through a series of guitar pieces by Dowland, Ravel and his pupil Jose, Mompou, Albeniz and Debussy and the two famous Gymnopedies by Satie. Dodgson’s Etudes were beautiful and introspective with a degree of unease, and piqued my curiosity to discover more of them.

In a concert that might well have been entitled ‘Fairy Tale and Whimsy’ Nick Daniel and friends brought together fairy-tale themes and works with childish appeal including Stephen Dodgson's Flood and The Old Cigarette Lighter – which certainly appealed to the inner child within many of the adult audience too.