Symphonies 1 & 12
These days, writing positively about the music of Lloyd (b. 1913) can get one pilloried. Some say he's too Romantic, too accessible for our modern (and presumably sophisticated) tastes. You be the judge. This disc has works that bracket his career as a symphonist. Symphony No. 1 (1932) has an Edwardian spirit, glancing backward to turn-of-the-century England. Symphony No. 12 (1990) has many of the same rounded edges as the First Symphony and the same variations-on-a-theme strategy. But in it you can clearly hear what he abandoned along the way and what he kept. This is an excellent introduction.--Paul Cook