J’AIME MAY/JUNE 2023

He founded the In Harmony music
education programme in 2007 and
was Principal of Royal Birmingham
Conservatoire for five years from 2015,
during which time he oversaw the move
to a new £57m building and the award of
Royal status by Her Majesty the Queen.
What does he feel is the current key topic
that classical music should be addressing?
“There are so many, but I think the
key issue is around introducing all
our children to music and this has to
begin at primary school,” Julian says.
“Throughout my life I have believed in
introducing beautiful music to as many
people as possible all over the world.”
Julian is looking forward to returning
to Lichfield and to the Cathedral, the
venue for their late evening ‘Bach by
Candlelight’ concert. It’s a suitably grand
space for a composer whose appeal is so
universal that two pieces of his music were sent into
space on NASA’s 1977 Voyager space mission.
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER.
PHOTO BY JOHN MILLAR
JIAXIN LLOYD WEBBER
ON STAGE
“It’s a terrific Festival with a very wide choice
of music to suit all tastes – and, of course, it has
the most wonderful ‘concert hall’ in the
Cathedral!” says Julian.
“Pablo Casals, the cellist who first started to
play the Cello Suites in public, said ‘The Cello
Suites are the essence of Bach – and Bach is
the essence of music’ – and he was right! It
is wonderful music on so many levels and the
Suites will sound marvellous in the Cathedral.
“Both of us love performing in such beautiful
and historic places – it brings an extra magic
to the occasion. In the concert, I narrate the
fascinating story behind the composition of the
Suites while introducing performances of them
by Jiaxin. It’s an extraordinary story: neglected
for almost two hundred years, the Suites finally
emerged from obscurity to become some
of the most treasured pieces in the classical
repertoire. They’ve been arranged for at least
20 different instruments – from the ukulele
to the tuba and are even used as ringtones on
mobile phones! Jiaxin will also play Malcolm
Arnold’s Fantasy for Cello which Arnold
composed for me in 1986. I may tell some
stories about working with Arnold but they
are mostly unrepeatable – especially in such
hallowed surroundings!”
‘Bach by Candlelight’ is at Lichfield Cathedral
on Sunday, July 16 at 9pm. Lichfield Festival
runs from July 6 to 16. Full details are available
at www.lichfieldfestival.org
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