Dyson: Complete Music for Piano

Featuring

Simon Callaghan
Cliodna Shanahan
George Dyson

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Recording & Production

This album features five first recordings of Sir George Dyson's piano works, including 'Concerto Leggiero', 'The Open Window', and 'My Birthday'.

Composer Biography

Dyson's parents, despite their tough living conditions, provided him with a cottage piano and encouraged his musical interests, which were also stimulated by their Baptist church's organ.

Composer Biography

Sir George Dyson, the composer, was born in 1883 to working-class parents in Halifax, with his father working in a forge and his mother in a textile factory.

Composer Biography

During World War I, Dyson, then a Lieutenant, wrote the only official handbook on using hand grenades, which was circulated in both the British and American armies.

Composition History

The 'Sostenuto ed espressivo' piece on this album was carried by Dyson in his uniform during World War I, just a week before he experienced shellshock.

Composition History

Dyson's earliest surviving composition, the 'Untitled Piano Piece' on this album, was written in 1890 when he was seven years old.

Composer Biography

Dyson's musical education at the Royal College of Music was made possible by an Open Foundation Scholarship, as his family was relatively impoverished.