Tasmin Little / Ruth Rogers violin
Martin Roscoe / Simon Callaghan piano
LYRITA SRCD 424
For those who associated the composer George Lloyd with his output of symphonies, it will probably be refreshing to hear music that he wrote for his own instrument, the violin. Lloyd began to learn the violin from the age of five, and he was a pupil of the distinguished violinist Albert Sammons for six years. He later singled out Sammons ‘as having the most lasting effect on his burgeoning creativity, identifying the latter’s ‘instinctive, freely expressive playing’ as having a direct bearing on the kind of music he began to write.’
It therefore comes as something of a surprise to discover how late in his career it was when he started to write for his own instrument. Even then, these were Seven Extracts from ‘The Serf’, his second opera, rather than music conceived primarily for the medium. These are included on the second disc of this set. As so often with British operas, there was no revival after its initial run, despite its artistic success and favourable reviews.
These pieces date from 1974. The following year Lloyd composed the Lament, Air and Dance. Unusually the first movement is in the form of a chaconne, and draws inspiration from some of the great examples of the form from the past, specifically the Chaconne in G minor attributed to Tomaso Antonio Vitale (1663-1745), which the composer greatly admired calling it ‘one of the greatest pieces ever written for the violin’. Lloyd’s example is elegant, but substantial at nearly 15 minutes duration. The expressive middle movement is an excellent contrast and final movement (Dance) effectively provides a counterbalance to the seriousness of the opening movement.
The Sonata for Violin and Piano dates from 1978, and is in a single weighty movement of nearly 30 minutes in length. It begins with the piano stating a rhythmic idea which leads to an expansive theme shared between both instruments This is the principal subject of the sonata and it recurs at various points throughout the score. A passage marked ‘moderato’ provides what seems to be the scherzo section followed by a statement of the main subject. The final section draws on the middle section, but rhythmically altered, and the work ends with an impressive final statement of the main material.
The two duos, Tasmin Little and Martin Roscoe and Ruth Rogers and Simon Callaghan are beyond reproach in their display of virtuosity and expressiveness, which is always at the service of the music and is never self-indulgent. The recordings were made 35 years apart, but the quality is uniformly excellent. Admirers of Lloyd’s music should not hesitate; a splendid release.
Review by Martyn Strachan