Rags, Blues and Parodies
Peter Dickinson (piano), Meriel Dickinson (mezzo-soprano)
There is nothing quite like the British composer Peter Dickinson's witty musical parody, with its humor at various levels. Who else would make a rag and a set of blues out of hymn tunes? Or turn the main themes of his Piano Concerto (TROY160) into a rag, which is actually played during the course of that work on an upright piano at the back of the orchestra? Or make a blues setting of Byron's "So we'll go no more a-roving" using a chord progression from Ravel and turn the whole thing into an Organ Concerto (TROY160)? Or have an offstage pianist piecing together fragments of a piano rag during his String Quartet No. 2 ? Or make a blues version of Edward MacDowell's salon classic, To a Wild Rose, calling it Blue Rose and consequently climaxing on Scriabin's mystic chord? And following this with a Wild Rose Rag? This CD is a collection to be enjoyed: five piano rags, five blues, three reworkings of Satie, two blues songs and two sets of songs, all presented as a complete program in the immediately attractive manner of all Dickinson's recitals, broadcasts and other recordings.
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Stevie's Tunes | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano, Meriel Dickinson, mezzo |
| Concerto Rag | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Quartet Rag | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Blue Rose | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Wild Rose Rag | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Three Satie Transformations | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| A Red, Red, Rose | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano, Meriel Dickinson, mezzo |
| Hymn-Tune Rag | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| So we'll go no more a-roving | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Patriotic Rag | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Four Blues | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano |
| Extravaganzas | Peter Dickinson | Peter Dickinson, piano, Meriel Dickinson, mezzo |
Reviews
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"Dickinson's fascination with jazz, the blues, and, especially, ragtime lead to music that's charming... all the music here is very attractive and perfectly performed."
*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.