GEORGE LLOYD: Symphony No. 11 (1985) – Albany Symphony Orchestra/George Lloyd – Albany

by | Apr 26, 2007 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews | 0 comments

GEORGE LLOYD: Symphony No. 11 (1985) – Albany Symphony Orchestra/George Lloyd – Albany Multichannel SACD TROY060, 58:51 ****:

Although the main focus of the Albany Symphony was the performance of music by American composers, the symphony’s president heard a BBC broadcast of Lloyd’s Eighth Symphony and was immediately attracted to the artistry of the tonal British composer. After all, Lloyd’s father had been American. The composer was sort of adopted by the Albany Symphony and conducted the U.S. premiere of some of his works – including newly-composed pieces –  with them. 

This attention, as well as the earlier long-delayed attention from the BBC, provided a rebirth of the composer’s career, which had languished due to ill health and the international dictatorship of serialized music which ignored tonal composers such as Lloyd. Opera was of high importance in Lloyd’s life as well as his earlier composing efforts.  He often referred to his scores, without embarrassment, as having plenty of “tunes.”

The Eleventh is the next-to-last of the composer’s 12 symphonies, but is a much more imposing statement than the 12th.  It is in five movements, beginning and ending with large movements running from 15 to 17 minutes length. There are plenty of singing melodies, and the work extends the exploration of sound colors which the composer developed in his earlier symphonies. The first movement seems very American in style, somewhat brash, with lots of enthusiasm and spark; there is even a jazzy section as well as lyrical ones.  The shorter scherzo movement is lighter in orchestration and style and reminded me in some sections of Gershwin’s An American in Paris.  The closing movement is marked “Exultantly” and it does communicate that feeling.  Themes heard in the earlier movements return in a somewhat cyclical design. The final bars set off an orchestral fireworks of joyful sounds.

The original recording was made in the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in 1986, and this is another of the Albany masters which has been processed by the Zarex HD Studio in Indiana to derive from the two-channel master a 5.1 DSD mix.  The sonics are good, but I always find I need to raise the surround channels about 2 dB to get a good multichannel surround effect. The first page of the liner notes in the booklet bound into the package features gold text over a gold and brownish photo of Lloyd conducting the orchestra.  Very artistic, but unreadable.

 – John Sunier

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