Announcing 24 Preludes and Fugues by Matt Dibble

London-based composer Matt Dibble completed his 24 Preludes and Fugues for solo piano in 2021, just weeks before his untimely and tragic death due to complications following the Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccination. A much loved and admired musician working in many genres, Matt continues to be sorely missed by many on the classical, jazz and pop scenes. The Preludes and Fugues show his extraordinary flair for invention in many different styles, from neo-Baroque to jazz and pop, via modernism. The set represents a deeply personal undertaking, written over six years, and known only to his family and a handful of close friends and colleagues.

Matt’s dream performer for such a wide-ranging work was the internationally renowned pianist Freddy Kempf, and he would have been thrilled to know that Kempf gladly took the project on. With Paul Baily producing, Kempf recorded the project in the summer of 2022 at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York. Although he never met the composer, Kempf said, “It really feels like some of the values that Matt paid most attention to match my own”. And his interpretation does indeed display a profound and moving understanding of the work. 

Later this year, one of the pieces will be included on the repertoire list for Trinity College London piano exams, bringing this deeply personal music to pianists all over the world. Divine Art Records are honoured to present this fine work which sadly also is issued in remembrance of this multitalented musician.

Freddy Kempf

Freddy Kempf is one of today’s most successful pianists, performing to sell-out audiences all over the world. Exceptionally gifted with an unusually broad repertoire, Freddy has built a unique reputation as an explosive and physical performer who is not afraid to take risks as well as being a serious, sensitive and profoundly musical artist.

Freddy has collaborated with conductors such as Järvi, Dutoit, Chailly, Ashkenazy, Petrenko, Oramo, Davis and Bĕlohlávek, working with some of the world’s most prestigious musical institutions including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, and the Dresden Philharmonic.

A prolific recording artist, his Tchaikovsky recital CD released in 2015 received great acclaim. In 2013, his Schumann recital disc was warmly received by the critics and, in 2010, his recording of Prokofiev’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Litton was nominated for the prestigious Gramophone Concerto Award, that magazine describing the collaborative duo as “a masterful Prokofievian pair”. This was followed by a recording of Gershwin’s works for piano and orchestra, released in 2012 and described in the press as “beautiful, stylish, light, and elegant… magnificent”. 

Composer Matt Dibble

Matt Dibble was born and lived in Southeast London. He was a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, arranger, and producer, who worked across a wide range of genres and styles. As a classical composer, he wrote choral and chamber music, as well as various instrumental pieces, but these Preludes and Fugues–six years in the making—meant the most to him. He completed them shortly before his sudden and tragic death, in 2021, due to a fatal reaction to the AstraZeneca vaccine. He was 40 years old. 

Matt formed part of a highly-successful jazz trio with Terence Collie and Nick Lenner-Webster. He also played clarinet, sax, piano and sang in the punk-jazz band, Dollyman, and performed with the well-known Beach Boys tribute band, Smile. In addition to this, he played clarinet on the Dibble Zambelli albums, with Italian guitarist Fabio Zambelli, and frequently joined other groups including The Matzoh Boys, Night and Day Collective, and the Lewis Barfoot band.

In pop music he released six solo albums of original material, including ‘Bedroom Pop’, due for release this year. He was co-founder of the band Super dB, whose 2020 release ‘Écoute Ça’ achieved success in the UK, Europe and further afield. The single ‘Kool Funk’ was #2 on the UK soul chart in June July 2020 and had radio play on the BBC and internationally.

Matt studied music at the University of York, where he was mentored by Alan Hacker. He went on to study jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, also studying privately with Tony Coe.