ABSTRACT
What makes a great symphony great? If the answer to that was known, then it would be the most valuable commodity in the entire world of orchestral music, and we would be in the enviable position of having countless masterpieces to try to cram into concert programmes and record catalogues. That there are masterpieces to be heard by such composers who have that extra “something” is a testament to the indefinable quality that we call genius, and its comparative rarity makes it all the more valuable. Would we hold Mozart in such high esteem if the 18th century had produced scores (sic) of such comparably gifted men? No, of course not. “Genius” is not a word to be bandied about lightly, and we are fortunate that in the realm of British music we have our fair share, past and present.
