German: Symphony No. 2 in A minor 'Norwich' / Valse Gracieuse / Welsh Rhapsody

Sir Arthur Sullivan called Edward German 'the one man to follow me who has genius'. Notwithstanding German's success in operetta, especially with Tom Jones (recorded on 8.660270-71) and Merrie England (the suite is on 8.555171), orchestral music was always central to his life. Stylistic affiliations with French and Russian music - not that common in British music of the time - are often evident. German, like Elgar, was a stylistic cosmopolitan whose music is, paradoxically, quintessentially English, and the 'Norwich' is indeed an outstanding late 19th-century British symphony. German gave us another superb symphony too, albeit in miniature, with his Welsh Rhapsody, a brilliant orchestral showpiece that remains his most performed extended orchestral work.