22nd March – Andrew Lloyd Webber

In 2001, Andrew Lloyd Webber was named as “the most commercially successful composer in history” by the New York Times. Primarily a composer for musical theatre, Lloyd Webber has won an unprecedented number of awards and accolades for his services to music, winning at the Golden Globe Awards, Grammy’s, Olivier’s and Tony’s plus a host of others.

Lloyd Webber grew up in a musical family. He initially studied history at Oxford University, but abandoned the course after a few weeks in order to transfer to the Royal College of Music. Early on in his career he teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice and the pair composed their first joint project in 1965. Just a few years later their first West End success came with the hit musical “Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat”, in 1968. Lloyd Webber has composed many well-known box-office hits, such as “Evita”, “Cats”, “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Starlight Express”. Many of his shows have run for several years on stage, as well as spawning songs which have entered the popular music charts, such as “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”.

Lloyd Webber also composes in a classical style. His 1985 “Requiem” was written in honour of his father, who died two years earlier and is a full-scale work for expanded  orchestra (including saxophones) and choir. His then wife, Sarah Brightman, sang at the premiere.

Here is the famous “Pie Jesu” from Lloyd Webber’s Requiem:

Listen to more works by Lloyd Webber – click the box!