Lyrita Recorded Edition

George Lloyd archive of Scores and recordings moves to Lyrita Nimbus Arts

Lyrita George Lloyd

The Trustees of Lyrita Nimbus Arts (LNA) have reached an exclusive agreement with The George Lloyd Society (GLS) to take over the sale and hire of all George Lloyd’s scores held by the Society as well as the commercial exploitation of the collection of recordings made by the Society in the 1990s and conducted by the composer.


George Lloyd who died in 1998 is mostly remembered for his 12 Symphonies, but his compositions include Opera, Choral, Concerto, Piano and Chamber Music. LNA approached GLS earlier in 2023 with a proposal that will see all of the music scores digitized and the entire record archive represented in new compilations, in both physical and digital formats. Going beyond the act of preservation the Trustees of LNA believe that George Lloyd’s music is ripe for rediscovery by concert management and music lovers. George Lloyd’s music, particularly his operas, won him great praise and popularity before WW2. But as broadcasting and concert life changed direction in the 1960s, his style, which is dramatic, large-scale, richly orchestrated unafraid of a big tune, fell out of favour. We believe that George Lloyd’s time has come again and will use the combined resources of the Lyrita Nimbus Arts charity, and Lyrita label, together with the manufacturing, printing publishing and distribution arm of Nimbus Records to support this venture.

Find an extensive biography, discography and appreciation at the George Lloyd society site https://georgelloyd.com/en/

 


 

William Lloyd, was the composer’s business manager, executive producer and has administered his record company and the musical estate for the last 25 years. He writes: “Our agreement with Lyrita Nimbus Arts is another milestone in the extraordinary story of George Lloyd and his music. The Lyrita label was responsible for issuing the first three commercial recordings of Lloyd’s symphonies over 40 years ago, and it is entirely fitting that Lyrita Nimbus will now take the complete catalogue of scores and recordings into the future. Lloyd was fiercely independent, and with the invaluable assistance of Albany Records USA, together with some of the best engineers and recording producers in the business and his loyal audience, he was able to maintain that independence from mainstream publishers and record companies. This allowed him to record over 20 albums under his own baton, and to publish his extensive catalogue under the imprint of the George Lloyd Music Library, but it came at a price. His commercial success was remarkable and was sufficient to finance all the recording and printing, but until now we have not had the international marketing reach, the in-house manufacturing and printing, and the digital distribution platforms which are required by the new global markets. This is a perfect match for us, and it is a great vindication of Lloyd’s faith in the enduring quality of his work that Lyrita have recognised its value and committed significant resources to bringing his music to a new audience.“.

Because George Lloyd’s personal attention is a dominating influence on the scores and recordings – which he mostly conducted himself – we have decided to headline this representation the ‘Signature Collection’. Scores will be cleaned, and new orchestral parts created, recordings will be reorganised into affordable sets with new notes commissioned from Paul Conway. All digital platforms will have access to a unified and comprehensive offering from a single source.

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All music scores are now available from Lyrita
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The recordings will be released by Lyrita between March 2024 and January 2025
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www.lnarts.org
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www.lyrita.co.uk
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www.georgelloyd.com
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Lyrita George Lloyd

 


 

The Lyrita Story

Broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 29.09.07

Lyrita Record Edition, famous for its pioneering recordings of British classical music, was the brainchild of one man, Richard Itter. Now the entire Lyrita catalogue appears on CD for the first time, including several recordings never previously issued. Lewis Foreman talks to Richard Itter, his producers, engineers and some of the musicians who made the recordings to tell the story behind this remarkable venture.

 


 

To view all Lyrita recordings please Click Here

Lyrita is distributed worldwide by Wyastone Estate Limited under an exclusive manufacturing and distribution licence.