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The British composer George Lloyd (1913-1998) achieved great success very early in his life, including symphonic performances by orchestras in Bournemouth, Penzance and Eastbourne. He also saw two operas staged in London, including his second, The Serf, at Covent Garden. Yet from his mid-twenties and with the outbreak of World War II, Lloyd wouldn’t see such success again for another thirty years, despite many attempts to interest people in his music. What had George Lloyd done so wrong?

Simon Heffer explores the life and music of George Lloyd, accompanied by the composer’s nephew, William Lloyd, to help tease out the remarkable highs and lows of this turbulent creative trajectory. The composer was born in St Ives, where the landscape, and the artistic community there, had a huge impact upon him. His First Symphony was premiered by the Penzance Orchestral Society when Lloyd was only nineteen, and his first opera Iernin, was based on a Cornish folk legend from the area. Despite the fact that Lloyd went on to live much of his adult life in Dorset or London, Cornwall still had a huge appeal and impact upon the composer, who considered himself a Celt, with his Welsh and Irish ancestry. Phillip Hunt, a Bard on the Cornish Gorsedh, got to know Lloyd towards the end of the composer's life, and discusses not only Lloyd's affinity with Cornwall, but also another side of his creative output - his works for brass band.

George Lloyd studied the violin in his youth, with the celebrated Albert Sammons. It was Lloyd’s musical skills which played a huge part in him being accepted as a bandsman into the Royal Marines, serving on HMS Trinidad from 1940. Two years later came one of the most defining moments of Lloyd's life, when, whilst on Arctic Service, HMS Trinidad was struck by one of its own faulty torpedoes. Many of his fellow bandsmen died that day and Lloyd was severely shell shocked, ending up in hospital in Scotland. To understand better Lloyd’s symptoms and treatment, psychologist Dr Rachel Paskell discusses how the composer may have been treated in 1942, and how our understanding and treatment of PTSD has developed since then. Lloyd’s wife Nancy, who he married in 1937, upon hearing that the doctors felt Lloyd would never leave hospital again and could do little for him, decided to discharge him and nurse him back to health herself. Simon Heffer learns about the treatments Nancy offered to her husband, including a period of peaceful living in Switzerland, painstakingly helping him to recover and resume composing once more.

By 1949, George and Nancy Lloyd returned to the UK, and for the 1951 Festival of Britain he was commissioned by the Arts Council to write an opera. This was his third, John Socman, and was at a time when the composer’s health was still severely hindered by shell shock. Many issues arose with the opera, not least the fact that the opera director and opera producer wouldn’t talk to one another. The opera was not a success, partly because musical tastes had now moved on, and already in a highly fragile state, George Lloyd’s health failed and he retired to Dorset to run a market garden. He vowed never to enter an opera house again. Between 1945 and 1973 George Lloyd composed another six symphonies, but during the 1960s and 70s, this was a period when he felt in particular that the musical establishment had turned against him, including the ´óÏó´«Ã½. Try as he might, Lloyd found it impossible to interest orchestras or broadcasters in his music. Roger Wright, former Controller of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3 from a much later period, discusses his views on why Lloyd might have found it difficult to have his music performed by the ´óÏó´«Ã½. Was there really a Black List established by former Head of Music for the Third Programme, William Glock?

In the last two decades of Lloyd’s life, he saw a huge resurgence in popularity for his music. All his twelve symphonies were recorded and performed, along with other works too, including concertos. Pianist Kathryn Stott, who premiered the Third and Fourth Piano Concertos by Lloyd, discusses her thoughts on his music, what Lloyd was like, and why she feels some of his music may have been neglected. Tasmin Little also recorded Lloyd’s chamber music for violin, and talks about her time working in studio with George Lloyd, and the over-controlling way she felt he worked. This was a composer who believed he’d been neglected for many years, and yet here was an Indian Summer in his final years, where he was keen to achieve as much as possible whilst he had time, performing and recording his music precisely as he wanted it to be. Yet, do we hear much music by George Lloyd today? Has the composer become neglected once again? What is it about George Lloyd and his music, which has carved out such an undulating path?

Readings by Ewan Bailey and Samuel James.

Produced by Luke Whitlock