Gold Compilation Showcases Andrew Lloyd Webber as an Iconoclast

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Gold Compilation Showcases Andrew Lloyd Webber as an Iconoclast
by Alexis Andrews - December 2, 2008

Andrew Lloyd Webber

One of the most popular and successful composers of musical theatre is Andrew Lloyd Webber. Every Broadway fan must have an idea of how significant his work is, but so should other contemporary listeners. Webber has made an impact across the whole of the music industry, from Top 40 radio to classical music to film scores and soundtracks to American Idol appearances.

Born in Kensington, London, Andrew Lloyd Webber wasn’t the first celebrity in his family. His brother, Julian Lloyd Webber, has long been known and renowned as a classical cellist. Andrew Lloyd Webber dropped out of Oxford University – where he was a Queens Scholar of history – in order to compose songs and pursue his interest in musical theatre. Since then he has written 13 musicals, the best-known of which are Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Evita, and The Phantom of the Opera. (With Cats and The Phantom of the Opera holding the record as two of the longest running shows shown in Broadway.) Other notable titles in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s discography include: Starlight Express, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, and The Woman in White.

His style fuses classical elements with more contemporary and pop-based traditions, and sometimes features the use of electro-acoustic music and rock and roll stylings. Considered a musical iconoclast, he followed the footsteps of predecessors who were for the most part American, New York-based songwriters who have been influenced by the tradition of Broadway. Andrew Lloyd Webber has collaborated with a number of today’s best singers – such as Barbra Streisand, Donny Osmond, Madonna, Charlotte Church, and Sarah Brightman, who would turn out to be his second wife. However, they divorced in 1990.

If you want to become more familiar with the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, then Gold: The Definitive Hits Collection is a recommended album. It was released in 2002 by Decca, and includes popular Andrew Lloyd Webber records like Superstar, You Must Love Me, Any Dream Will Do, All I Ask Of You, and Whistle Down the Wind.

Notes Marijan Bosnar in her fan review: “This compilation captures some of the best songs he has ever written, he personally supervised it and it is the best thing to have if you can't afford his five-CD compilation called Now and Forever, which was selected and supervised by him as well.”

Because of his contribution to the music industry, Andrew Lloyd Webber was knighted in 1992. He was also created an honorary life peer in 1997 as Baron Lloyd-Webber, and was awarded the 1996 Oscar for Best Music, Original Song for Evita. Other awards that he has won include seven Tony Awards, two Academy Award nominations, three Grammy Awards, the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors, one Golden Globe Award, and places in the Hollywood Walk of Fame and American Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.

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