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SRCD2418
Originally recorded in April 2023
Classical
Orchestral & Concertos
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About
Lloyd became a symphonist despite himself. When he was in his twenties he seemed destined to be a composer of operas and it is likely that, had the vicissitudes of war not intervened, he would have written music for the stage exclusively. In an article for the June 1939 issue of the Musical Monthly Record, Harry Farjeon wondered why music for Lloyd was ‘not centred in the concert hall but in the theatre’ and quoted the young composer as being ‘interested only in opera’. There are strong traces in the symphonies of what might have been: the intensely lyrical, cantabile nature of the writing, the intermezzo-like movements, the opera buffa qualities of the finales and the feeling for the long line which runs through those supple and sweeping melodies all denote a born opera composer. In the event his operatic aspirations were cruelly cut short and it is to his courageous, life-affirming twelve symphonies that we must look to chart his development, recovery and eventual triumph.
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Reviews
Interpretation **** Sound Quality **** Repertoire Value **** Booklet ***
“… These are significant 20th Century symphonies that, despite the Lloyd renaissance at the end of his life, remain criminally under-performed and recorded; most of these symphonies have only been recorded once or twice. Lloyd deserves another reappraisal …”
Sound 8.5 Booklet 10 Repertoire 8.5 Interpretation 10
“…Presented in a sound that does justice to an inventive and often abundant orchestration, the complete symphonies of George Lloyd could not find a better champion of his own creativity than himself. Attentive to details, sensitive to impulses and climaxes as well as more serene beaches, he finds in the BBC Philharmonic, the Philharmonia or the Albany Symphony, motivated groups which, under his guidance, highlight a rich and varied corpus. Music lovers curious about less traveled musical lands will experience great pleasure in (re)discovering a worthy neoclassical representative of 20th century English music…”
“…Lloyd’s music is direct even when elusive, commanding even when equivocal, and is strongly lyrical – some of his lyricism is simply unforgettable. It is also richly, ripely and colourfully orchestrated…”
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