Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by George Lloyd.
I - Misterioso - Vivo ma leggiero: 0:00
II - Lento: 15:13
III - Finale. Agitato: 29:09
Lloyd's Symphony No.7 was composed between 1957-9, but not orchestrated until the summer of 1974. It was premiered in a BBC broadcast on September 5 of 1979, performed by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Downes. Of George Lloyd’s twelve symphonies, No. 7 is unique in his oeuvre. It has arguably the widest dramatic and dynamic range of his rich output and uncharacteristically, has a darker tone than most of his works. Beneath this darkness, there is an undying lyricism and yearning. This is a work of great drama and bold moments full of fiery intensity and operatic flare. It ends pessimistically after what must be some of Lloyd’s most aggressive music.
The score was written at a time of neglect for Lloyd's music. His early success in the thirties was cut short by his service in World War II and a horrible accident that left the composer recovering for decades. In the fifties Lloyd attempted to restart his compositional career, but by then his postromantic style was no longer appreciated, as modernism and serialism had taken over as predominant styles. Unwilling to change his language, eventually he gave up and became a market gardener, only writing music on his spare time, confined to a shelf with no hope of performance. It wasn't until a 1977 BBC broadcast performance of his Symphony No.8 that Lloyd reappeared on the music scene.
Subtitled "Proserphine", the work was inspired by the Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of the Greek Persephone. Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres (Zeus and Demeter in Greek mythology), represents Spring and the return of life to nature from the slumber of winter. This is explained through her myth; Proserpina lived on the island of Sicily, guarded by her mother. Pluto, king god of the underworld, was enchanted by her beauty and abducted her. Ceres then sought her daughter around the world in vain, as the land became infertile and turned into a barren desert.
To save humanity from starving to death, Jupiter sent Mercury (the Roman equivalent of Hermes) to Pluto and orders him to release Proserpine. He accedes after feeding her pomegranate seeds (the fruit of the underworld) which made her unable to permanently return to the world of the living. An agreement was reached between the gods, in which Proserpine would half of the year with her mother (Spring and Summer), who would make flowers bloom and crops grow bountiful, and the other half with her husband in the underworld (Autumn and Winter), during which Ceres expressed her sadness by letting the earth go barren and covering it with snow.
The composer stated the following about the piece: "The ancient Greeks had a wonderful knack of wrapping up truths in myths, and of giving form to what is logically unexplainable. Many of these myths still ring true whether you think of them as psychological states or spiritual facts. One of the myths that fitted in with my thought some 30 years ago was the story of Proserpine; it is a story that seems to tell us something about the human condition of having one foot on this earth and another somewhere else - wherever that may be. For Proserpine was the daughter of the earth goddess Ceres and the father of the gods, Jupiter himself. She was supposed to live in Sicily among the flowery meadows and limpid streams that surround the plain of Enna; and it is told that she was so beautiful that Jupiter fell in love with her. However, Pluto, the god of the Underworld, carried her away and she became the queen of the infernal regions."
The symphony is divided in three large movements, being scored by a large orchestra as well. The work also contains some descriptive elements, as Lloyd stated the following: "There are three movements in this symphony. The first shows Proserpine as the joyful, dancing side of life. But she was also the goddess of Death, and at the beginning of the second movement, I have written on the score a quotation from Swinburne's poem "The Garden of Proserpine:" [Pale, beyond porch and portal- Crowned with calm leaves, she stands- Who gathers all things mortal - With cold immortal hands.] The last movement is concerned with the desperate side of our lives."
[Musical analysis in the comments section]
Picture: "The Rape of Persephone" (1913) by Australian painter Rupert Bunny.
Musical analysis mostly written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/25n4hohh, tinyurl.com/2cgudez4 and tinyurl.com/27gz6px3
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by George Lloyd.
I - Misterioso - Vivo ma leggiero: 0:00
II - Lento: 15:13
III - Finale. Agitato: 29:09
Lloyd's Symphony No.7 was composed between 1957-9, but not orchestrated until the summer of 1974. It was premiered in a BBC broadcast on September 5 of 1979, performed by the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Downes. Of George Lloyd’s twelve symphonies, No. 7 is unique in his oeuvre. It has arguably the widest dramatic and dynamic range of his rich output and uncharacteristically, has a darker tone than most of his works. Beneath this darkness, there is an undying lyricism and yearning. This is a work of great drama and bold moments full of fiery intensity and operatic flare. It ends pessimistically after what must be some of Lloyd’s most aggressive music.
The score was written at a time of neglect for Lloyd's music. His early success in the thirties was cut short by his service in World War II and a horrible accident that left the composer recovering for decades. In the fifties Lloyd attempted to restart his compositional career, but by then his postromantic style was no longer appreciated, as modernism and serialism had taken over as predominant styles. Unwilling to change his language, eventually he gave up and became a market gardener, only writing music on his spare time, confined to a shelf with no hope of performance. It wasn't until a 1977 BBC broadcast performance of his Symphony No.8 that Lloyd reappeared on the music scene.
Subtitled "Proserphine", the work was inspired by the Roman goddess whose iconography, functions and myths are virtually identical to those of the Greek Persephone. Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres (Zeus and Demeter in Greek mythology), represents Spring and the return of life to nature from the slumber of winter. This is explained through her myth; Proserpina lived on the island of Sicily, guarded by her mother. Pluto, king god of the underworld, was enchanted by her beauty and abducted her. Ceres then sought her daughter around the world in vain, as the land became infertile and turned into a barren desert.
To save humanity from starving to death, Jupiter sent Mercury (the Roman equivalent of Hermes) to Pluto and orders him to release Proserpine. He accedes after feeding her pomegranate seeds (the fruit of the underworld) which made her unable to permanently return to the world of the living. An agreement was reached between the gods, in which Proserpine would half of the year with her mother (Spring and Summer), who would make flowers bloom and crops grow bountiful, and the other half with her husband in the underworld (Autumn and Winter), during which Ceres expressed her sadness by letting the earth go barren and covering it with snow.
The composer stated the following about the piece: "The ancient Greeks had a wonderful knack of wrapping up truths in myths, and of giving form to what is logically unexplainable. Many of these myths still ring true whether you think of them as psychological states or spiritual facts. One of the myths that fitted in with my thought some 30 years ago was the story of Proserpine; it is a story that seems to tell us something about the human condition of having one foot on this earth and another somewhere else - wherever that may be. For Proserpine was the daughter of the earth goddess Ceres and the father of the gods, Jupiter himself. She was supposed to live in Sicily among the flowery meadows and limpid streams that surround the plain of Enna; and it is told that she was so beautiful that Jupiter fell in love with her. However, Pluto, the god of the Underworld, carried her away and she became the queen of the infernal regions."
The symphony is divided in three large movements, being scored by a large orchestra as well. The work also contains some descriptive elements, as Lloyd stated the following: "There are three movements in this symphony. The first shows Proserpine as the joyful, dancing side of life. But she was also the goddess of Death, and at the beginning of the second movement, I have written on the score a quotation from Swinburne's poem "The Garden of Proserpine:" [Pale, beyond porch and portal- Crowned with calm leaves, she stands- Who gathers all things mortal - With cold immortal hands.] The last movement is concerned with the desperate side of our lives."
[Musical analysis in the comments section]
Picture: "The Rape of Persephone" (1913) by Australian painter Rupert Bunny.
Musical analysis mostly written by myself. Sources: tinyurl.com/25n4hohh, tinyurl.com/2cgudez4 and tinyurl.com/27gz6px3
Unfortunately, the score isn't freely available.
