CD REVIEW – British Light Music Volume 10 – EDWARD GERMAN [1862 – 1936]
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava
Conductor Adrian Leaper.

Originally issued 1992 on Marco Polo 8.223419
Total playing time: - 67’ 24’’
Due for general release 26.08.22
NAXOS 8555171

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Edward German [1862–1936] was born into a musical family at Whitchurch, Shropshire, as German Edward Jones. ['German' is an anglicisation of the Welsh name 'Garmon' and therefore – I believe – should be accurately pronounced with a 'hard' G, e.g as in 'Golf'].

Apparently, his parents called him 'Jim' ! He adopted the name under which he subsequently became known when he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Music in London, in order to avoid a clash with another student called Edward Jones.

In common with his younger near-contemporaries Haydn Wood, Montague Phillips and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, German harboured ambitions to compose music at the more 'serious' end of the spectrum. However, his perennial fame rests largely on the considerable canon of lighter works which have remained popular over the years, especially those written for theatrical productions.

Towards the end of his life, Sir Arthur Sullivan, [yet another unfulfilled 'serious' composer], declared that 'there is only one man to follow me who has genius and that is Edward German'. Thus in time did German come to be regarded as Sullivan's true heir. When the latter died at the age of 58 in 1900, the task fell to German to complete the score for the unfinished operetta The Emerald Isle, upon which Sullivan had been collaborating with the librettist Basil Hood.

The finalised work was received with great acclaim, although – sadly – it does not appear to have stood the test of time compared with many of German's other compositions for the stage, some of which are featured on this new release.

They constitute most of the pieces on the programme and include dances from Nell Gwyn, Henry VIII and Merrie England, incidental music from Romeo and Juliet and the waltz-song from Tom Jones.

A notable non-theatrical item is the four-movement Gipsy Suite, which – it has been suggested – owes some of its inspiration to Antonin Dvorak.

The recordings were made in 1991, in the concert hall of Slovak Radio, Bratislava, by the members of the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra [NB- now known as the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra], who do a great job of performing these works, under their British conductor Adrian Leaper.

Accompanying the disc are some very informative booklet notes by Tim McDonald.

The CD marks a welcome addition, after 30 years [!], to the Naxos catalogue and for those who missed it the first-time-around, it's an excellent opportunity to acquire some really top quality and highly enjoyable British Light Music.

© Tony Clayden 2022