GEORGE DYSON (1883-1964): Complete Piano Music - Concerto Leggiero for 2 Pianos (Clíodna Shanahan [second piano])*, The Open Window*, Primrose Mount, Bach’s Birthday, 6 Lyrics*, My Birthday, 12 Easy Pieces*, Prelude and Ballet, 10 Epigrams, 3 Wartime Epigrams, 4 Twilight Preludes, Untitled piano piece*. * - First Recordings.

Description: The largest work here is the two-piano version of the 1949 Concerto Leggiero, a mature work originally composed for piano and string orchestra. Almost classical in its sense of economy, the two-piano arrangement boasts a remarkable lyricism. Other first recordings include the seven-year-old Dyson’s first work for piano, “Untitled Piano Piece”, the 1952 exam board commission for young pianists, Twelve Easy Pieces, and The Open Window and Six Lyrics (1920), character pieces designed to help develop technique and musical imagination in young pianists. Among other works included are the Debussy-accented Primrose Mount of 1928, the dazzling set of fugues Bach’s Birthday (1929) and so-called War Epigrams, inspired by Dyson’s experiences on the Western Front before being invalided home. 2 CDs. Simon Callaghan (piano).