George Lloyd - Iernin

[giles.enders]

For any one interested, George Lloyd's opera Iernin which hasn't been staged since 1935, will be performed at Trinity School Theatre in Croydon on October 24, 25, 26.  There are further performances at St John's Hall, Penzance, Cornwall on 1st and 2nd of November. This is a fully staged production by Surrey Opera.

[John H White]

I gather it will be conducted by Jonathan Butcher, who, amongst other things, conducts our local band, the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra. Judging by what he does here on the Island, the performances should at least be musically flawless.

[Jimfin]

It's a gorgeous opera, and Lloyd appears to have regarded it as his first really good work.

[semloh]

Might they make a recording of their performance? 

[petershott@btinternet.com]

The opera has already been recorded - with a good set of soloists, BBC Concert Orchestra and conducted by Lloyd himself - and I imagine this would diminish the likelihood of a second recording. It is a 3 CD set issued around 1994 by Albany. Ironic that an American company should have recorded both the opera together with all / most (?) of the symphonies and some choral works of this British composer. No reason, of course, why this shouldn't be the case - but sad that Lloyd has been passed over in his own country.

[semloh]

I wasn't thinking of a commercial recording, Peter, just one that might end up as a podcast or a download - on the George Lloyd website for example. As to the Albany recordings, the use of British performers illustrates a point I was making in the thread about the plight of US orchestras - namely that they (and American composers) are often passed over in their own country in favour of Europeans.

We should not forget, however, that interest in Lloyd's music is entirely a British phenomenon, notably through the efforts of John Ogdon, Richard Itter at Lyrita, the BBC and not least Edward Downes. A broadcast of the 8th set the ball rolling. Lloyd himself eventually made some 40 recordings. According to the GL webwsite, some 30 performances of his music are scheduled (in the UK alone I think) for 2013 - his centenary year - including at least five performances of Iernin. So, there is certainly no longer any neglect of Lloyd's music in Britain, the Albany contract notwithstanding. 

[eschiss1]

For 2013? They'd better hurry...

[semloh]

For 2013? They'd better hurry...

Well, I suppose the webpage was written some time ago, Eric. Maybe I should have said "were scheduled".

[eschiss1]

Rumor has it, I read, that "John Socman" is planned for 2014, so my other interpretation (is a Porsche) would have been partially right too...

[semloh]

One small correction to my post - the performances aren't confined to the UK, as I see they are including the Cello Concerto being performed in Brisabane by the Queensland SO next month at their Aussie version of "The Last Night of the Proms"! (http://www.qso.com.au/the-last-night-of-the-proms) 

The performances of Iernin are over the next few evenings, in Croydon and Penzance, by Surrey Opera (http://www.georgelloyd.com/index.php/component/gcalendar/event/4/j923e42rvb3uin2lpa6vgpnvjs?Itemid=298)

[Dylan]

Well, I had high hopes for this but...oh dear. Frankly, I suspect the opera is probably unperformable now, for a whole variety of reasons, and that the best thing will be to stick with the (pretty good) BBC recording (there is some marvellous music, here and there) and daydream ones way through a private imaginary production...because I doubt anyone will ever see it on a professional opera stage? GL may have believed he was a (thwarted) natural opera composer, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Certainly his father was NOT a thwarted natural dramatist, and the truly dire libretto cripples the piece. I can't bear Puccini, but you must admire his sheer cold-blooded professionalism in bullying his librettists until they produced something razor sharp in which not a word is wasted and in which continuously developing action brings plausible characters to continuing and developing life:  unlike Lloyds 1-dimensional stock goodies and baddies declaiming poor verse at one another. (Almost everything is described as being "like the wind" at some point - that's as eloquent or insightful as it gets)  At the same time, neither does Iernin manage to rise to the genuinely fey poetry of something like The Immortal Hour. And I'm afraid there were one or two giggles among the audiences at certain infelicities of staging. Maybe John Socman or The Serf are better - but I'm not optimistic? Meanwhile I'm happy to stick with his symphonies...

[JimL]

One small correction to my post - the performances aren't confined to the UK, as I see they are including the Cello Concerto being performed in Brisabane by the Queensland SO next month at their Aussie version of "The Last Night of the Proms"! (http://www.qso.com.au/the-last-night-of-the-proms) 

The performances of Iernin are over the next few evenings, in Croydon and Penzance, by Surrey Opera (http://www.georgelloyd.com/index.php/component/gcalendar/event/4/j923e42rvb3uin2lpa6vgpnvjs?Itemid=298)

If anyone can get that cello concerto performance as an upload that would be grand!

[eschiss1]

Well, maybe it will be broadcast by ABC Classical Radio, which does webstream...

[semloh]

Indeed. I did search for evidence that ABC was broadcasting it but no sign during November. Maybe it'll be broadcast later  - I'll certainly keep an eye open for it, and get a recording if I possibly can. 

[John H White]

I reckon the Albany Record Company have done a fine job in promoting the symphonic output of George Lloyd and his somewhat more flamboyant American contemporary, Don Gillis. I've derived much pleasure from their recordings of both these composers works, which is more than I can say about many of the more "advanced" 20th Century composers.