GEORGE LLOYD: Seventh Symphony (1986)

I have not the slightest doubt that this tremendous symphony should force anyone who cares about the European symphonic tradition to take Lloyd seriously as a major contributor to it. Tempo

The Seventh Symphony is on a larger scale…the emotional heart searching is muted and lies beneath the surface…the end is curiously satisfying. Lloyd's powers of construction ensure that this is not only a well balanced symphony but also a forcefully propulsive one…it is also the case that Lloyd has very great powers of orchestration…the recording itself is of equal accomplishment.. Gramophone

Superb performance and recording [A*1*]…a significant work in Lloyd's output…the BBC Phil in sparkling form…the climax (of) the last movement should prove a good test of your system's ability to resolve complex textural detail at high volume…a major achievement… HiFi News

One of the most beautiful symphonies written this century… Fanfare, Critics Choice 1987

Tonality, tunefulness and romantic optimism…it is beguiling; I find myself listening again and again to the rich, superbly balanced, orchestral colours, admiring the ebb and flow of themes, being entranced by the astonishing depth and veracity of sound…buy this. Hampstead & Highgate Express

Has you marvelling at the never ending invention in it's three long movements, with one idea treading on the heels of another… Guardian

Lloyd is best known for his cycle of twelve symphonies and the 7th is a fine example.
He once had the feeling of 'having one foot on this earth and another somewhere else - wherever that may be'. He related this experience to the myth of Proserpine (Persephone) who was partly of this world and partly queen of the underworld.
The first movement represents Persephone dancing. It starts nocturnally and the xylophone beats out repeated notes, the metallic sound suggesting a hammer on an anvil. It recurs throughout the movement and at the end of the symphony. The music becomes more radiant and the dancing of Persephone is represented by a delightful waltz tune. These elements, together with a rhythmic horn figure, make up the main material. This is all worked out and the mood is predominately sunny though there are darker moments. The ending is announced by the xylophone's repeated notes and return of the nocturnal mood. The movement ends with a radiant major chord.

The second movement is prefaced by a quotation from Swinburne's poem, 'The Garden of Proserpine':
Pale beyond porch and portal/Crowned with calm leaves, she stands/ Who gathers all things mortal/With cold immortal hands.
The music begins with a long, wistful tune on the cellos. This develops, with increasingly complex orchestration and later woodwind bird calls can be heard. After, a beautiful and noble theme appears, initially on the brass. Towards the end, a falling motif in the woodwind recalls the famous one from Strauss's Rosenkavalier.

The final movement is prefaced by another Swinburne poem:
And all the dead years draw thither,/And all disastrous things;/ Dead dreams that snows have shaken,/Wild leaves that winds have taken,/Red strays of ruined springs.
The movement begins violently with a blow on the tam- tam and an apocalyptic theme follows. Of the other two themes, one is a more lyrical tune and the other is slightly jazzy. In the middle, the music becomes quiet and resigned, even lachrymose, passes to agitation and slides to a mysterious and beautiful end. The xylophone returns, intermittent now and not continuous, and is the last sound we hear. This is fine music but does it fit the profound hopelessness of the poem?

The performance by the BBC PO, under the composer, is exemplary, as is the recording. The notes are by George Lloyd and are very brief. Rodney Gavin Bullock

1. First Movement (vivo, ma leggiero) 15:08
2. Second Movement (Lento) 13:51
3. Third Movement (agitato) 20:49

George Lloyd conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded on June 19-20, 1986 at BBC Studio 7, New Broadcasting House, Manchester UK