Jettisoning the support of teaching and conducting appointments early in his career and working solely as a professional composer, Sir Edward German rose to prominence as a composer of orchestral music in the last decade of the 19th century. The popularity of his music resulted in prestigious commissions from festivals and theatrical producers, such as The Seasons written for the 1899 Norwich Festival, with its masterly evocations of nature, nostalgic yearnings and rustic festivities. The Theme and Six Diversions, one of the composer’s finest concert works, owed its inspiration to a suggestion by German’s friend and admirer Sir Edward Elgar.

This is a further re-release from our acclaimed Marco Polo back catalogue, in this case cat. 8223695 first released in 1996. This album was well received on its original appearance, with MusicWeb International commenting that ‘The music is well played in ideal conditions: the acoustics and recording balance are superb. Andrew Penny’s handling of the Diversions is a particular delight.’