In 2017 Martin Jones visited the National Library of Wales, and uncovered manuscript scores of these and many other piano works written by the young Dan Jones. “The depth and range of the works presented on this release suggest that Jones was a natural composer for the piano and until his symphonic odyssey had begun, he used this medium, along with that of the string quartet, for some of his most profound utterances.” The Preludes are among the earliest music contained in this collection, and it is possible that he soon took to, and cultivated, other forms, such as the Fantasia, because they gave him greater opportunities for varied expression. Veiled and restrained, the Prelude in D minor (1933) contains a brighter central section, which is recalled in tranquillity in a tiny coda. The Thema con variazioni in D flat (1941) presents a simple and serene rising and falling melody, and then proceeds to weave a series of richly ornamented variants upon its undulating contours. The delicate, hesitant closing section sets the seal on one of Jones’s most exquisite, beautifully proportioned piano pieces. [Paul Conway]
