Julian Lloyd Webber believed his life as a cellist was over. A lost decade later, he's scaling back up

An injury appeared to have cost the virtuoso his career. But after a chance remark, and some secret practising, he is set for a comeback, writes Vanessa Thorpe

- Vanessa Thorpe

A decade ago the cellist Julian Lloyd Webber was forced to adjust to a totally new life. After playing his instrument for several hours a day since his early teens, a neck injury brought the curtain down on 40 years as a virtuoso performer. Newspaper headlines at the time reflected public surprise and the dismay of fans.

The Independent called it a "shock retirement", while the Guardian talked of Lloyd Webber's grief at the end of such a celebrated career.

But this week Lloyd Webber revealed a secret. He has been learning to play once again... and is to return to the concert platform with a trial performance this spring.

"I began just playing scales a few weeks ago," he says. "I tried a whole piece, but quickly realised it was not going to work. I had to build up to it. So I did 15 minutes, then half an hour. Then I managed an hour. Now I can't wait for the concert. I just hope I can do it."

Back in 2013, the damage to his neck - a herniated disc caused by the repeated bowing action of his right arm - meant his ability to perform drained away with little warning. Medical opinion suggested little could be done, barring a very risky operation on the nerves in his neck.

"I was not in real pain, it was just that I had lost the power in that arm, so I could only play for 10 minutes," he says.

Known for his definitive interpretations of landmark works of classical music, Lloyd Webber, 74, the brother of the composer and musical theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, won a Brit award for his recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto and had premiered many new pieces by modern composers such as Malcolm Arnold and Philip Glass.