National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland - German: Symphony No. 2 “Norwich”; Valse Gracieuse; Welsh Rhapsody (2023)

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.

Tracklist
01. Symphony No. 2 in A Minor "Norwich": I. Andante maestoso - Allegro molto
02. Symphony No. 2 in A Minor "Norwich": II. Andante con moto, sostenuto
03. Symphony No. 2 in A Minor "Norwich": III. Allegro scherzando
04. Symphony No. 2 in A Minor "Norwich": IV. Andante marcato - Allegro molto
05. Symphonic Suite in D Minor "Leeds": II. Valse Gracieuse
06. Welsh Rhapsody