![]() Being simply a cellist is not enough for Julian, he believes in the power of music education, which can change people’s life and bring harmony in the society. It was not until later that he found the love of his life, the cello. Although music was in the household, the little Julian hated his first instrument, the piano. * Travels With My Cello: An Evening with Julian Lloyd Webber, begins at the Cork Opera House on Thursday, Jan 31 Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Feb1 Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Feb 2 Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, Feb 3 Birr Theatre, Offaly, Feb 5 and Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, Feb 6.Credit: runs in the blood of the Lloyd Webber family his parents were students of the great Vaughan William at the Royal College of Music, his godfather was the English composer Herbert Howells, and of course, his elder brother Andrew is a world famous composer for musicals. “I’ve found Irish audiences to be so warm, with a lovely enthusiasm,” he says. Lloyd-Webber says he’s looking forward to his return to Ireland, especially to play the smaller venues that he’ll be visiting for the first time. One little girl asked me what’s my favourite string on the cello, that’s something I’d never thought about.” “I would have been terrified of the questions and answers part but now I look forward to that part of the evening, I get some really off the wall questions, often from children. You’re taught all about playing but there was never anything about presenting it and that was something you have to sort of learn as you go along. “When I first left college I was extremely unconfident about talking. It is a brave approach that can be very challenging for musicians. “But I think it is probably quite similar in that we both believe in breaking down the barriers that might be there between the performer and the audience.” “I don’t know much about The Naked Violin,” Lloyd-Webber says, The format is similar to that introduced by violinist Tasmin Little, another recent visitor to Cork, in her hugely popular show The Naked Violin. I read a bit from my book Travels with my Cello in the second half and I take questions and answers from the audience.” “It’s a real mixture, the idea is really to show off the cello and the music for it. He also has an 18-month-old daughter with Cheng.Īnd has he written something in her honour too? “Yes,” he replies, “I have written something for her, but it hasn’t emerged yet.” Lloyd-Webber describes his upcoming round of Irish concerts as much more informal than the ones he usually plays. His son, David, was the only child from Lloyd-Webber’s second marriage, to an exiled Afghan princess Zohra Ghazi. “It has to be a fairly cataclysmic event, the one I’ll be playing is a lullaby I wrote for my son when he was born.” “I have done a little composing, yes, but very rarely,” he says. That the cellist composes himself may be more of a surprise. He has enjoyed something of a revival in recent years. His father, William Lloyd-Webber, was an organist and composer whose compositions were rooted in late-romanticism and somewhat out-of-place in mid-20th century England. Lloyd-Webber’s brother is Andrew Lloyd-Webber, composer of huge hit musicals such as Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. “Then there’s a sort of family section with music by my father and brother and myself.” The Scherzetto I’ll be playing by him is a great virtuoso showpiece which had never been played before I discovered it in the library of the Royal College of Music. Bridge wrote some lovely music but now he is better remembered as the teacher of Benjamin Britten. Sometimes you come across something that has been unfairly neglected. “Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to explore the whole range of music written for the cello. It includes music by Bach, Fauré, Elgar and Debussy and a work by the British composer Frank Bridge. The programme for the tour is a mix of popular classics with a few lesser-known works. For his upcoming Irish tour Lloyd-Webber will perform a selection of solo cello showpieces with piano accompanist, Pam Chowhan.
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