The BBC Midland Orchestra
Leader, Alfred Cave
Conductor, W. K. Stanton
German's Symphony No. 2 in A minor was first produced at the Norwich Triennial Festival in 1893, which explains why it is called the ' Norwich ' Symphony. Further performances took place all over the country, including one at the Crystal Palace in the Saturday evening concerts conducted by Sir August Manns, the mention of which seems to belong almost to history. German was a young man when he wrote it, but not unknown ; the music for Henry VIII , which he had written for Henry Irving at the Lyceum the year before, had made the name of German known throughout the kingdom. Curiously enough, there is in the music practically nothing of the ' Old English ' colour we have learned to associate with Sir Edward German. It is straightforward symphony, which, by the way, had to wait nearly forty years before it was thought fit to publish it.