Prima Facie Records

A Few More Surprises (PFCD246) £12.50/£17.50

John Turner (recorders), Stephen Bettaney (piano) & Lesley Jane Rogers (soprano)

1. Elegy for Tony, Op. 167, for recorder and piano - Anthony Hedges [3:31]
2-4. Three Sketches, Op. 14, for recorder and piano - Howard Ferguson [1:11, 2:15, 1:17]
5. Variations on Bobby Shafto, for sopranino recorder and piano - Robin Stevens [2:53]
6. The Mulberry Road, for soprano and recorder - David Blake [3:51]
7. Capriccio, for treble recorder and piano - Stephen Banfield [4:32]
8. High Noon, for recorder and piano - Douglas Steele [7:30]
9. Hark, Shepherds Awake, for soprano and recorder - Douglas Steele [1:33]
10. Serenade, for recorder and piano - Douglas Steele [1:02]
11-13. Sonata in F Major, Op. 4 No. 5, for recorder and piano - John Stanley, ed. and arr. Gerald Finzi [5:03, 3:01, 1:10]
14-16. Three Miniatures, for descant recorder and piano - Stephen Banfield [3:21, 2:14, 2:13]
17. Homage to Poulenc, for descant recorder and piano - Peter Dickinson [3:13]
18. Air, for solo treble recorder - Peter Dickinson [2:11]
19. Caprice, Op. 76, for solo treble recorder - John Golland [3:56]
20. Pastorale, for treble recorder and piano - Matyas Seiber [3:26]
21. Deux Bouches, a vocalise for soprano and treble recorder - Lesley-Jane Rogers [3:39]
22-23. Tales of a Small Flute, for recorder and piano - Vítězslava Kaprálová [1:13, 0:26]
24. After Orpheus, for recorder and piano - Max Paddison [3:53]
25. Picnic, for recorder and piano - Michael Baron [3:12]
26. Cassoulet Rag, for recorder and piano - Gerald Hendrie [3:22]
27. Wedding Notes, for solo recorder - John Turner [1:41]

Total Time [77:01]

About this Album

A Few More Surprises is an entertaining collection of compositions for recorder and piano, produced in memory of the esteemed composer, pianist and academic, Peter Dickinson. The compilation was assembled by recorder player John Turner, a close friend of Dickinson, both tireless promoters of contemporary classical music. Turner is accompanied by pianist Stephen Bettaney, who provides sensitive yet powerful playing throughout. Renowned soprano Lesley-Jane Rogers features on selected pieces.

Review

"A lot of imagination has gone into creating this fascinating album...The recording, always clear and bright, enhances outstanding performances all round. This smorgasbord of (I think) previously unrecorded music is a valuable addition to the recorder repertoire. It is a sound and sophisticated production from the first note to the last." John France, MusicWeb International

Credits

John Turner recorders (all tracks )
Stephen Bettaney piano (tracks 1-5, 7-8, 10-17, 20 & 22-26)
Lesley-Jane Rogers soprano (tracks 6, 9 & 21)
Prima Facie are very grateful to the Rainbow Dickinson Trust, the Finzi Trust, The Seiber Trust, the Golland Trust and the Douglas Steele Foundation, for financial assistance towards the production of this recording.
Recording 2024 by John Turner and produced under licence by Prima Facie.
Notes on the music by and © John Turner 2025.
Recorded at Heaton Moor Studios, Stockport, on various dates in 2024.
Producer: Paul Hindmarsh
Engineer: Philip Hardman
This recording is made in memory of the late Peter Dickinson (1934-2023), composer, pianist, academic, and writer.

is one of the leading recorder players of today. Born in Stockport, he was Senior Scholar in Law at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge before pursuing a legal career, acting for many distinguished musicians and musical organisations (including the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Northern College of Music and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain), alongside his many musical activities. These included numerous appearances and recordings with David Munrow's Early Music Consort of London, the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin- in-the-Fields and the English Baroque Soloists. He now devotes his time to playing, writing, reviewing, publishing, composing and generally energising. He has played as recorder soloist with the Halle Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Manchester Camerata, the English Baroque Soloists, the English Chamber Orchestra, and many other leading orchestras and ensembles. Lately he has made numerous acclaimed recordings of the recorder’s contemporary concerto and chamber music repertoire, including four solo concerto discs, all of which have received critical acclaim. In all, he has given the first performances of over 600 works for the recorder. Many of the works he has premiered have now entered the standard repertoire, and these and his own recorder compositions are regularly set for festivals and examinations. He edits series of recorder publications for both Forsyths and Peacock Press, and founded the periodical Manchester Sounds, in response to the perceived threat to music libraries in Great Britain. In addition he was responsible for the rediscovery of several works for his instrument, including the Rawsthorne Recorder Suite, Antony Hopkins' Pastiche Suite, Herbert Murrill’s Sarabande, the Handel F Major Trio Sonata and John Parry's Nightingale Rondo (the only substantial known British nineteenth century work for a fipple flute). He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Northern College of Music in 2002 for his services to British music, and is a Visiting Distinguished Scholar of Manchester University.