Dodgson: Chamber Music, Vol. 5 Magnard Ensemble

• Stephen Dodgson (1924 - 2013): Quintet for Winds & Piano:
• 1 Quintet for Winds & Piano: I. Poco lento – Allegro – Poco lento 07:42
• 2 Quintet for Winds & Piano: II. Allegro 10:24
• Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon:
• 3 Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon: I. Poco lento 01:50
• 4 Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon: II. Allegro ben moderato 01:34
• 5 Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon: III. Andante 01:44
• 6 Serenade for Oboe, Clarinet & Bassoon: IV. Vivace 02:26
• Baermann’s Treasure:
• 7 Baermann’s Treasure: Introduction. Andante maestoso 01:35
• 8 Baermann’s Treasure: Theme. Poco allegro, amabile 01:00
• 9 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 1. Alla Mazurka 00:48
• 10 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 2 01:03
• 11 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 3. Scherzando 00:46
• 12 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 4 01:18
• 13 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 5. Più tranquillo. Semplice 01:26
• 14 Baermann’s Treasure: Var. 6. Allegro vivace 01:34
• 15 Baermann’s Treasure, the Sequel (Further, Freer Variations) 06:29
• Suite for Wind Quintet:
• 16 Suite for Wind Quintet: I. Ouverture 03:21
• 17 Suite for Wind Quintet: II. Pastorale 03:40
• 18 Suite for Wind Quintet: III. Menuets I & II 04:24
• 19 Suite for Wind Quintet: IV. Musette 03:50
• 20 Suite for Wind Quintet: V. Rondeau 03:48
• Duo for Horn & Harp:
• 21 Duo for Horn & Harp: I. Andante 02:39
• 22 Duo for Horn & Harp: II. Allegro scherzando 03:08
• 23 Duo for Horn & Harp: III. Moderato 03:12
• Stephen Dodgson:
• 24 Promenade No. 2 for Wind Quintet 10:18
• Total Runtime 01:19:59

Info for Dodgson: Chamber Music, Vol. 5

This fourth album in the Toccata Classics survey of the chamber music of London-born Stephen Dodgson (1924-2013) offers a first installment of his many works for woodwinds. Much of it brings Dodgsons sense of fun to the fore, often through rhythmic mischief or an insouciance that recalls Poulenc, but it also has that particularly English strain of lyricism that suggests the impermanence of beauty. British composer and broadcaster Stephen Dodgsons prolific musical output covered most genres, ranging from opera and large-scale orchestral music to chamber and instrumental music, as well as choral works and song. He wrote in a tonal, though sometimes unconventional, idiom. Paul Griffiths, in The Oxford Companion to Music, writes that Dodgson proved adept at producing likable, well-crafted music to order, often for unusual chamber ensembles.

Magnard Ensemble:
Suzannah Clements, flute (Tracks 16–20, 24)
Mana Shibata, oboe (Tracks 1–6, 16–20, 24)
Joseph Shiner, clarinet (Tracks 1–13, 15–20, 24)
Catriona McDermid, bassoon (Tracks 1–20, 24)
Jonathan Farey, horn (Tracks 1–2, 16–24)
Suling King, piano (Tracks 1–2, 7–15)
Olivia Jageurs, harp (Tracks 21-23)

Magnard Ensemble
Since 2012 the Magnard Ensemble has built a reputation for delivering both high quality concert performances and dynamic educational projects. The Ensemble made their international debut at the Culture & Convention Centre Lucerne, Switzerland in January 2017 and have appeared at venues such as Wigmore Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields, as well as festivals and concert societies nationwide. During the 2014/2015 season, the quintet simultaneously held a Chamber Music Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as the inaugural joint fellowship between the RAM Open Academy and Wigmore Hall Learning. Currently the Ensemble are selected artists for Making Music, the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, the Tillett Trust Young Artist Platform and the Tunnell Trust. ​

The Ensemble are also known for their passion for new music. To date they have premiered works by emerging composers such as Leo Geyer, Freya Waley-Cohen and Ewan Campbell. In 2018 The Ensemble were resident at the East Anglia Young Composer Competition, hosted by Aldeburgh Young Musicians and Snape Maltings.

The players all follow their own professional performing careers, appearing as soloists, chamber musicians and with orchestras including London Philharmonic Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia, the BBC orchestras, and major UK opera orchestras.

During 2016 their Revolting Rhymes and Marvellous Music project was launched nationwide to celebrate the centenary of Roald Dahl's birth, in partnership with Paul Patterson, Martin Butler, the City Music Foundation and Music Link International. Featured on BBC Radio 3's 'In Tune' programme in September 2016, the Ensemble has delivered concerts and workshops at festivals and venues across the country including Wigmore Hall, the Forge Camden, National Centre for Early Music, Wells Cathedral School, the Hay, Thaxted and Aberystwyth festivals, as well as Repton School, Roald Dahl's alma mater. The Ensemble is delighted that the recording of this project was released with Orchid Classics, and is available from iTunes and Amazon. 2019/20 sees the release of two discs dedicated to the music of Stephen Dodgson on Toccata Classics, as well as a Britten-Pears residency at Snape Maltings, appearances at the Bridgewater Hall and other venues nationwide.

Booklet for Dodgson: Chamber Music, Vol. 5