Independent Classical Podcast: Julian Lloyd Webber

Edward Seckerson

Writer and broadcaster Edward Seckerson is Chief Classical Music and Opera Critic for The Independent. He wrote and presented the long-running BBC Radio 3 series Stage & Screen, in which he interviewed many of the most prominent writers and stars of musical theatre. He appears regularly on BBC Radio 3 and 4. On television, he has commentated a number of times at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. He has published books on Mahler and the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, and has been on Gramophone Magazine's review panel for many years. Edward presented the 2007 series of the Radio 4 music quiz Counterpoint. He has interviewed everyone from Leonard Bernstein to Liza Minelli; from Paul McCartney to Pavarotti: from Julie Andrews to Jessye Norman.

DJ Fresh: I’ve never been so excited about making music

“I wouldn’t say I’m going for my third consecutive number one,” says Dan, “It’s dangerous to become ...

Brighton Fringe: The theatre of food

IF there are a lot of green-faced people limping around Brighton today, I think we know who to blame...

Tone Of Arc: It took forever to find my ‘Eureka!’ moment

Another artist that caught my attention in Miami this year was Tone Of Arc (AKA Derrick Boyd). Rathe...

Julian Lloyd Webber has built himself an enviable reputation as one of music's most diligent explorers, refreshing parts of the repertoire that others choose to ignore while encouraging the best of new and established talents to extend and enhance the cello repertoire.

He has premiered more than 50 new works for cello - composers as diverse as Arnold, Rodrigo, McMillan, Glass, Nyman, and Bryars - and the quest goes on. Around the recording of this exclusive audio podcast with Edward Seckerson ideas were tossed back and forth as to where he might go next? For immediate consideration, though, is his new Naxos album “Evening Songs” - an endearing collection of “songs without words” by two composers he has long championed: John Ireland and Frederick Delius. Most of these transcriptions for cello and piano are by Lloyd Webber himself and in freeing the songs from their texts he has sought, along with his long-term pianist partner John Lenehan, to celebrate the very particular gifts of two very individual melodists. As the son of a very gifted melodist - William Lloyd Webber - Julian has a well-developed nose for enduring melody and “Evening Songs” chronicles an abundance of it. The album is timed to coincide with celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of Delius' birth and on Sunday 29 January at 3pm at the Royal Festival Hall he will play the Delius Cello Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis.

Get 'Evening Songs', by Julian Lloyd Webber from Naxos Direct

Buy 'Evening Songs', by Julian Lloyd Webber on Amazon

julianlloydwebber.com

Book tickets to see the Philharmonia Orchestra play for the Delius 50th anniversary at London's Southbank Centre

Right-click here and click "save target as" to download

Independent Classical: Julian Lloyd Webber by The Independent on Mixcloud