TAKE A BOW
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER
The 75th Birthday Collection
Brand new album featuring the new single, ‘Jasmine’
Award-winning British cellist returns to the recording
studio for first time in 12 years
Album released on Decca Classics: Friday 10 April 2026
‘Jasmine’ the single released on Decca Classics: Friday 3 April
2026
‘Take a Bow’ is the brand new personally-selected retrospective collection from Julian Lloyd Webber, released by Decca Classics to mark the British cellist’s 75th birthday. The celebratory double album features a new composition by Lloyd Webber for cello and orchestra, titled ‘Jasmine’, and named after his daughter, alongside recordings from his catalogue stretching back over 40 years. ‘Jasmine’ marks a return to the recording studio for the first time in 12 years.
The album and new music coincide with the release of his autobiography, ‘Bows and Arrows’ (Biteback Publishing) and a return to the concert platform – again, for the first time in 12 years. Lloyd Webber will host and is expected to perform in a special birthday concert on 14 April at London’s Wigmore Hall, in aid of music education charity, Music Masters.
Recording and performing in the concert hall once again follows Lloyd Webber’s forced retirement in April 2014 due to injury. ‘Jasmine’, composed and performed by Lloyd Webber, accompanied by the award-winning Orchestra of the Swan, has strong personal and emotional meaning for the cellist, and was the impetus needed for him to pick up the cello and confront the challenge of playing again.
“’I wish I had seen you play, Dad’ declared my 14-year-old daughter during the summer of August 2025,” says the cellist. “Jasmine’s chance remark gave me the jolt I needed to complete a piece I had started to compose for her before she was born. At first my wife, and fellow cellist, Jiaxin was going to play it at a concert to celebrate my 75th birthday. But Jasmine’s wish kept preying on my mind. Although I hadn’t touched a cello for 12 years, I became determined to record it myself and set about practising with a vengeance!”
Alongside the new work, ‘Take a Bow’ features a wide variety of recordings exploring one of the most distinguished and prolific classical recording careers of the 20th and 21st century. From Elgar (the Brit Award-winning Cello Concerto with Yehudi Menuhin), Bach and Shostakovich, through to innovative arrangements of music written by his brother, Andrew, and Oscar-winning composer Vangelis, as well as a unique duet with Eurovision Song Contest winners Secret Garden and a rare recording of ‘Your Song’, with Elton John at the piano, ‘Take a Bow’ represents a remarkable journey through classical music, and beyond.
The release of ‘Take a Bow’ (Friday 10 April) and ‘Jasmine’ (Friday 3 April) coincides with the release of his autobiography, ‘Bows and Arrows’, through Biteback Publishing (Tuesday 7 April), and the Wigmore Hall Birthday Concert (Tuesday 14 April).
About Bows and Arrows
Bows and Arrows is Julian Lloyd Webber’s explosive, no-holds-barred account of his life as a globally renowned classical musician. From his vivid descriptions of growing up in one of the world’s most famous musical dynasties through to his collaborations with such stars as Elton John, Yehudi Menuhin, and his brother, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Julian reveals a world of agents, record companies, violin dealers and substance abuse, laying bare the inner workings of classical music as never before. With refreshing honesty and humour, Julian addresses the break-up of three of his four marriages, his lifelong passion for ensuring that every child should have a chance to play a musical instrument and his devastation at being forced to stop playing in 2014 due to injury. This earth-shattering event led to his appointment as principal of Birmingham Royal Conservatoire and his re-emergence as a champion of music education.
Bows and Arrows: The Autobiography by Julian Lloyd Webber is published on 7 April by Biteback Publishing (£22 hardback).
JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER
Julian Lloyd Webber is one of the leading musicians of our time. As a solo cellist he played with the greatest orchestras in the world’s most famous concert halls and recorded with musical legends including Yehudi Menuhin and Elton John. His recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto won a Brit Award in 1986 and his album Variations won a gold disc within five weeks of release. In 2008 Julian founded the UK government’s In Harmony programme, which brings access to music to children from less-privileged backgrounds.
A lifelong Leyton Orient supporter, Julian was the London Underground’s first official
busker and the only classical musician chosen to play at the closing ceremony of the
2012 Olympic Games. However, in 2014, a neck injury reduced the power of his bowing arm, forcing his retirement as a cellist. The following year Julian was appointed principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and continued his passion for helping young musicians through regular television and radio programmes, notably the ongoing series Classic FM’s Rising Stars on Sky Arts TV. He gives masterclasses around the world and is a regular speaker at festivals and concert series, often in collaboration with his wife and fellow cellist, Jiaxin Lloyd Webber.