Sir George Dyson (1883-1964)

[kyjo]

Dyson's Concerto da Chiesa is a fine work in the great English tradition of music for string orchestra.

[Maestro267]

Interesting news - thank you. I note it's a very early work. The St Paul work is good I have it on another CD.

Yes, interestingly composed around the time of Mahler 8 and Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony (1910), thus putting it amongst the first predominantly-choral symphonies written.

Dyson's Concerto da Chiesa is a fine work in the great English tradition of music for string orchestra.

I need to give that another listen. I've got it on a disc with the Symphony in G.

[vandermolen]

Yes, interestingly composed around the time of Mahler 8 and Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony (1910), thus putting it amongst the first predominantly-choral symphonies written.

I need to give that another listen. I've got it on a disc with the Symphony in G.

That's a great disc. Better in the Symphony than the Chandos recording I think, although they are both good.

[VonStupp]

I have an unnatural love of everything George Dyson. Aside from the Chandos oratorios, the Naxos Choral Symphony, and his Symphony in G already mentioned in this thread, might I also proffer the attention he received from the Somm and Dutton Epoch labels:




If you haven't heard his The Blacksmiths, it is about as close as Dyson could ever get to a modernist voice from his English Pastoral School leanings.

[vandermolen]

I have an unnatural love of everything George Dyson. Aside from the Chandos oratorios, the Naxos Choral Symphony, and his Symphony in G already mentioned in this thread, might I also proffer the attention he received from the Somm and Dutton Epoch labels:




If you haven't heard his The Blacksmiths, it is about as close as Dyson could ever get to a modernist voice from his English Pastoral School leanings.

Nothing unnatural I think! I have all those CDs, I think, other than 'The Open Window'. The Symphony, 'Quo Vadis' and Concerto da Chiesa remain my favourites. He's an interesting and worthwhile composer and the neglect of the Symphony, in particular, surprises me. Nice to see this thread revived from its four year slumber!

[VonStupp]

Nothing unnatural I think! I have all those CDs, I think, other than 'The Open Window'. The Symphony, 'Quo Vadis' and Concerto da Chiesa remain my favourites. He's an interesting and worthwhile composer and the neglect of the Symphony, in particular, surprises me. Nice to see this thread revived from its four year slumber!

I rarely listen to solo piano music outside of the warhorses. Dyson's piano music in The Open Window seems a little simple sounding to me, although his 3-voiced fugues in Bach's Birthday are interesting.

[Maestro267]

Bumping so Dyson discussion can move here and Havergal Brian can rightfully reclaim the thread that is his.

[Roasted Swan]

Anybody been listening to Havergal Brian recently.....?! 

[Albion]

Anybody been listening to Havergal Brian recently.....?! 

   

Indeedy, and Dyson, and Holbrooke, and Bantock, and Scott, and Bax, and Sullivan, and Simpson. Oh, and Potter, Schreker, Purcell, Byrd and Biber. Tangents a-gogo...

 

[Albion]

This disc is often overlooked, but it includes Dyson's Prelude, Fantasy and Chaconne for cello and orchestra (1936) in a very attractive programme...

[vandermolen]

Two of my favourite Dyson CDs

[Roasted Swan]

This disc is often overlooked, but it includes Dyson's Prelude, Fantasy and Chaconne for cello and orchestra (1936) in a very attractive programme...

Excellent disc - ASV did great work promoting much music like this including all their "Light Music" series.  I just wish they hadn't given it the "White Line" series title - I think the "middle of the road" concept put off as many people as it appealed too.  Certainly nothing on this particularly disc is so bland as "middle of the road" implies.  They might not be epic but neither are they inconsequential......

[vandermolen]

Excellent disc - ASV did great work promoting much music like this including all their "Light Music" series.  I just wish they hadn't given it the "White Line" series title - I think the "middle of the road" concept put off as many people as it appealed too.  Certainly nothing on this particularly disc is so bland as "middle of the road" implies.  They might not be epic but neither are they inconsequential......

You make a good point about 'middle of the road' as that would have put me off.

[Albion]

I think that Dyson's most extraordinary work is The Blacksmiths (1934). It will probably never be programmed in concert today since it requires a virtuoso chorus, a full orchestra (with piano) and only lasts for a quarter of an hour. Luckily we have two excellent performances of this work: David Willcocks (reduced orchestration) on Somm and Douglas Bostock (full orchestration) on ClassicO/ Griffin. This is a brutal but starkly beautiful piece which will shock anybody coming from the Dyson of The Canterbury Pilgrims or the Violin Concerto and expecting the same idiom...

https://www.mediafire.com/file/ox9qymsdaust638/Dyson_-_The_Blacksmiths_%25281934%2529.mp3/file

[vandermolen]

A recent (second-hand) arrival. It's nice to have another recording of 'In Honour of the City', possibly a bit more deeply-felt than Hickox's recording, although I enjoy Hickox's performance as well. I'll be interested to hear 'The Blacksmiths' which Albion has enthused about:

[Albion]

A recent (second-hand) arrival. It's nice to have another recording of 'In Honour of the City', possibly a bit more deeply-felt than Hickox's recording, although I enjoy Hickox's performance as well. I'll be interested to hear 'The Blacksmiths' which Albion has enthused about:

I think you'll be mightily impressed. If you like the Willcocks performance (Dyson's reduced orchestration) you will also need to get the Bostock (full orchestration) now reissued on Griffin (GCCD 4086)...

[vandermolen]

I think you'll be mightily impressed. If you like the Willcocks performance (Dyson's reduced orchestration) you will also need to get the Bostock (full orchestration) now reissued on Griffin (GCCD 4086)...

Oh, that looks unmissable, especially as, unlike some others here, I tend to like Bostock's conducting. Thanks for the info. Many years ago I wrote the booklet notes for a Griffin CD (see below):
PS I've now ordered the Bostock CD (inexpensively from Presto). The Brian Psalm 23 is another attraction.

[Albion]

Oh, that looks unmissable, especially as, unlike some others here, I tend to like Bostock's conducting. Thanks for the info. Many years ago I wrote the booklet notes for a Griffin CD (see below):
PS I've now ordered the Bostock CD (inexpensively from Presto). The Brian Psalm 23 is another attraction.

This is seriously simply a great disc. The Elgar is a fascinating distillation from "The Spirit of England" (and his orchestration of the Purcell is quite wonderful), the Howells is lovely, the Bridge is incredibly moving, the Dyson is spectacular with a full orchestra and the Brian is an important early choral work which he later had to re-orchestrate in 1945 since all performing material had been lost. The original ClassicO release (which I have) booklet gives you full sung texts, but I'm not sure that the Griffin reissue does: I will type these up if you need them (I think the Dyson text, his own version of the medieval poem, is on the Somm release, but I can't find it at present without knocking over approximately two tons of CDs). I always like Douglas Bostock in this repertoire and can't understand why he gets so little credit. Hopefully, now that this recording is available again, that might change...

 

[vandermolen]

This is seriously simply a great disc. The Elgar is a fascinating distillation from "The Spirit of England" (and his orchestration of the Purcell is quite wonderful), the Howells is lovely, the Bridge is incredibly moving, the Dyson is spectacular with a full orchestra and the Brian is an important early choral work which he later had to re-orchestrate in 1945 since all performing material had been lost. The original ClassicO release (which I have) booklet gives you full sung texts, but I'm not sure that the Griffin reissue does: I will type these up if you need them (I think the Dyson text, his own version of the medieval poem, is on the Somm release, but I can't find it at present without knocking over approximately two tons of CDs). I always like Douglas Bostock in this repertoire and can't understand why he gets so little credit. Hopefully, now that this recording is available again, that might change...

 

Your CD filing system seems rather like mine  Thanks for the kind offer - I'll let you know once I receive the CD (the post-lady just delivered some stuff to the (outside) box so, who knows!)

[Albion]

George Dyson – The Blacksmiths (1934)

Swart, smirched smiths, smattered with smoke,
Drive me to death with din of their dents.
Such noise on nights ne'er heard men never;
Such clashing of cries and clattering of knocks.
The craftsmen clamour for "Coal, coal, coal!"
And blow their bellows, their brains to burst.
They jostle and jangle, they jape and they jest,
They groove and they grind, they grumble together,
Hot with the heaving of heated hammers.
Of thick bull's hide are their branded aprons;
Their shanks are shod 'gainst shooting sparks.
Huge hammers they have and hard to handle;
Stark strokes strike they on the steeled stock.
"Well wrought! Well wrought! Well wrought!"
Might daunt the devil, such a life they lead,
All armourers, founders, forgemen.
Christ them save!