Concert Works
After living in Montreal for eight productive years, 1981 brought new changes to Dawson's life. One of the most significant of these was the death of his father in Victoria. It was a time for reflection and revaluation. One of the consequences of this soul-searching was that Dawson decided that the political changes that were happening in Montreal since 1976 were not worth the long-term personal struggle. Nevertheless the context of "big city" life and its cultural amenities remained an attraction.
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After weighing the options, Dawson made the choice not to return to his roots on the west coast, but to move back to Toronto. It was soon clear that the freely open-ended collaborations of his Montreal days were not possible in this new pragmatic environment, so his creative focus was forced to move full circle in seeking out new personal forms of purely musical expression.
This sudden change of perspective would create the opportunity for Dawson to reconnect in a late 20th century context with traditional genres that he had always loved, but it would also allow him to dig deeper into Canadian identity and a sense of place as an artist living in Canada through ongoing studies of parallel traditions across the arts in other Nordic countries. His musical style has evolved over the last 27 years fusing all these elements and influences into a unique presence, resonating with Northern colours, spare lines, thick textures, and freely evolving intuitive forms.
COMPOSITIONS
PHANTASMS
(1986-87)
for Solo Piano.
PORTRAITS IN A
LANDSCAPE (1988)
electronic music for an arts installation by
Anne Meredith Barry
TRACES IN GLASS (1986-92)
for Orchestra.
SYMPHONY 1
(1993-96)
for Full Orchestra
TOPOGRAPHICAL SONATA
(1992/96)
for Amplified Piano and Electronic Sounds
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ICE DREAMS (2004)
for Wind Quintet.
THREE ESTONIAN SONGS
ON POEMS OF ANDRES EHIN (2005-06)
for Soprano Voice and Organ.