Description
The presence of several recordings of Sir George Dyson's music in SOMM's past catalogue bears witness to the label's strong advocacy and affinity for the Yorkshire-born composer and organist. They include a release of his Choral Music conducted by Sir David Willcocks [SOMMCD 014]; premiere recordings of St. Paul's Voyage to Melita and Agincourt with Vernon Handley conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra & Chorus [SOMMCD 234]; and The Open Window, Complete Music for Piano with Simon Callaghan [SOMMCD 0622-2], which was selected for a Gramophone Critic's Choice and received a four-star review from BBC Music Magazine. With their latest release, SOMM reminds us of the true worth of Dyson's music, which still remains unaccountably neglected. This new release includes Dyson's 1943 overture,At the Tabard Inn; hisViolin Concertofrom 1941; and a hymn from 1956, Hierusalem,withtheBBC Concert OrchestraandChoir of Merton College, Oxfordled byJohn Andrews, who has conducted many of the UK's leading ensemblesand is an exponent of neglected English music. The vocal soloistinHierusalemis London-based lyric sopranoOlivia Carrell, noted for her "silvery soprano" and "stunning" singing. Welsh violinistCharlie Lovell-Joneshas been recognised as one of the most promising international soloists of his generation since making his sold-out Royal Festival Hall debut at the age of 15. George Dyson (1883-1964) showed early talent as an organist and, in 1900, he won an open scholarship to theRoyal College of Music, where he studied organ with Dr William Stevenson Hoyte and composition withSir Charles Villiers Stanford. In 1938 he became the first alumnus to be appointed director of the RCM. Among his most notable works of this period is the four-movement Violin Concerto, which was favourably received by both the press and the public. The Italian-born violinist, composer, and critic Ferruccio Bonavia noted that "...every note, every phrase is essentially 'violinistic,' conforming in every way to the special genius of the instrument." Following the success of his Violin Concerto, Dyson returned to his internationally renowned 1931 choral masterpiece The Canterbury Pilgrims, which is unique in that no other composer before or since has devoted such attention to Chaucer's epic of mediaeval English literature. Dyson added to his oratorio the full-scale overture At the Tabard Inn. Named for the Southwark hostelry from which the pilgrims set out on their journey, this is a work of great charm and brilliance. Scored for soprano soloist, choir, string quartet, and string orchestra, Hierusalem evokes a vision of heaven that is at once melancholy and tender, yet also luminous, delicate, and joyful. There is a sense of retrospective contemplation, as though Dyson, in declining health, might be reflecting on the nearness of his life's end.
