George Lloyd: The Symphonies Nos. 7-12

Interpretation ****      Sound Quality ****    Repertoire Value ****      Booklet ***

“… These are significant 20^th 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…”