Mirage: Solid Piano Works by Stephen Dodgson

This release is the fourth collection of Stephen Dodgon's music on SOMM. So far the label has issued two volumes of songs and one of choral works. This album of piano music samples the full range of Dodgon's career. 

And most of the works are world-premiere recordings. I'm hoping there's at least one more volume of Dodgson's piano music planned. Because I found the music on this release quite appealing. 

One of the most interesting works is the 1953 Rondo in A-flat. It's available as a free bonus download for CD purchasers. But the Rondo is included on the digital and streaming versions of the album.

Its continually shifting meters give the Rondo a fluidity I really enjoyed. Osman Tack performs with a light dexterity that adds charm to an already appealing work. 

Dodgson wrote seven piano sonatas throughout his career. The last one, subtitled "The Loddon" is included in this program. The Basingstoke Concert Club commissioned the work in 2003.

The sonata is a well-crafted three-movement work. There's motivic development over the course of the sonata. Dodgson's manipulation of his material is both subtle and organic. 

Also included are four collections of short works. All show Dodgson's mastery of miniatures. And also his seemingly unbounded creative imagination. 

A welcome addition to this ongoing series. 

Mirage: The Piano Music of Stephen Dodgson
Osman Tack, piano
SOMM Recordings SOMMCD 0684

Alexander Moyzes Symphonies 9 & 10 - Powerful performances

This is the penultimate installment of Naxos' Moyzes Symphony Series. Slovak composer Alexander Moyzes completed 12 symphonies. Symphonies 9 and 10 dates from the 1970s.

Symphony No. 9 was premiered in 1971 and is the work of a mature composer. Moyzes wrote in a neo-romantic style. This symphony blends in some extreme dissonance, creating a work that seemed somewhat on edge. The three movements each neatly break down into three sections. But there's nothing formalistic about this work.

Critics have compared Moyzes' Ninth Symphony to contemporary works of Shostakovich. It's a good analogy. Both composers were trying to express emotional outrage that tonality could barely contain. In Moyzes' case, it was the invasion and occupation of Czechoslovakia by the USSR.

It's a powerful work, and the performance of the Slovák and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra ensure the emotions hit home.

Moyzes completed his tenth symphony at the end of the decade. Premiered in 1979, Symphony No. 10 seems to have no political subtext. It's just about the music. And what music! Moyzes' harmonies push the boundaries of tonality in imaginative and appealing ways. The slow movements are exceptionally beautiful, with alluring melodies that hint of exoticism.

Moyzes, like Dvorak, wrote music that can be successfully performed by any orchestra in the world. And yet, when their music is performed by Czech ensembles an additional dimension seems to open up.

That's the case with both these symphonies. Ladislav Slovák and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra don't just know all the notes. They know what Moyzes meant by those notes -- and that informs their performances.

These recordings were first released on Marco Polo. I'm glad they're coming out again on Naxos. These works deserve a wider audience.

Alexander Moyzes: Symphonies Nos. 9 and 10
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Ladislav Slovák, conductor
Naxos 8.573654

Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae Sacrae II - Beautifully Performed

This release features the second of three volumes of Schütz's Symphoniae Sacrae. Schütz published his first volume in Venice in 1629. Volume II was completed 18 years later in Dresden, where Schütz was a major musical figure.

Like the first volume, these works show some influence of Monteverdi and Gabrieli. But that influence seems much less than it did in the previous volume.

At this point in his career, Schütz had completely integrated the polyphony he so admired in Italy with the need for simplicity and directness in Protestant Northern Germany.

The majority of the texts are from Psalms, although other Old and New Testament passages are used. Theologians such as Martin Luther (Verleih uns Frieden) and Johann Walter (Gib unsern Fürsten) are also present.

As with the first volume, there's plenty of variety in these sacred symphonies. Schütz is a master of word-painting as well as counterpoint. The text flow in an almost conversational manner, the rise and fall of the melodies mimicking natural speech patterns.

Hans-Christoph Rademann varies the forces from track to track, maintaining listener interest throughout the program. The small cadre of singers blends well in all their configurations, performing with clarity and warmth.

The makeup of the instrumental ensemble also varies from work to work. And there are a few surprises. For example, Lobet den Herrn in seinem Heiligtum SWV 350 says "praise Hime with the timbrel and dance." And by golly, we hear a drum playing a dance rhythm in the background. Surprising, but entirely appropriate.

Another fine addition to Carus' on-going series.

Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae Sacrae II
Complete Recordings, Vol. 18
Dorothee Mields; Isabel Jantschek; David Erler Georg Poplutzl; Tobias Mäthger; Felix Schwandtke
Hans-Christoph Rademann, director
Carus 83.274