The music of British composer George Lloyd (1913-1998) suffered, like many of his contemporaries, of being neglected because it was in a largely late-romantic style and didn't embrace the modernisms that were being promoted by the musical establishment at the time. Symphonies, unless written by a foreigner (or Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose stature demanded their attention) were not something seen as terribly popular. To write 12 symphonies - as Lloyd did - was just being perverse.
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| George Lloyd |
When it comes to a Ninth symphony, the shadow of Beethoven necessarily looms over any composer attempting such a work. Lloyd's solution, as described by Paul Conway (in this extensive evaluation of all of Lloyd's symphonies) was "to write a short and colourful work, though not without its weightier moments, notably in the grim central slow movement. The Ninth Symphony, written in December 1969, employs a large orchestra with delicacy and finesse, the percussion section (requiring four players) used to vary the orchestral palette rather than providing displays of technical virtuosity."
Apart from the sleeve note to this album (scanned below) and the Paul Conway article linked above, the George Lloyd Society has a website which has a wealth of information, photos and reviews.
Cartridge: Ortofon Xpression
Phono amp: Graham Slee Accession MC
Turntable: CTC Classic 301 with SME M2-12R
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