“The cellist Julian Lloyd Webber said on Monday that he is being forced to retire from performing due to a herniated disc in his neck, which has impacted his ability to use his right arm,” writes Brian Wise at Monday’s (4/28) WQXR blog. “Lloyd Webber, the 63-year-old brother of [musical-theater composer] Andrew Lloyd Webber, made the announcement on his website.… ‘I am devastated,’ said Lloyd Webber. ‘There were so many exciting plans that cannot now come to fruition. I have had an immensely fulfilling career and feel privileged to have worked with so many great musicians and orchestras but now I have to move on.’ Since making his London debut in 1971, Lloyd Webber has been a fixture in concert halls, especially in his native England, and has premiered works by numerous composers including Joaquin Rodrigo, Malcolm Arnold and Philip Glass. He has a particularly public profile in the U.K., lobbying the government for arts education and performing in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics…. ‘I would like to use the knowledge I have gained through my life as a musician and an educator to give back as much as I can,’ ” Lloyd Webber said.
Posted April 30, 2014
