Stanford or Parry?

[Kevin]

I prefer Stanford. His symphony no.5 shows him at his best, although I think Parry was a better symphonist overall. I must say I melt when I hear the slow movement of the 6th, extraordinary movement that!

Stanford wrote finer concertos(seriously the violin no 1, clarinet and Piano no. 2, should be in the standard repertory) than symphonies.

Whats Parry's chamber music like though? I've never even explored any of it yet, which is a surprise to me.

[Alan Howe]

For me, Parry, on account of his 4th Symphony (in its revised version). Just behind that would be Stanford's magnificent PC2. However, both composers should be played far more often: if they were German, I'm sure they would be.

[Kevin]

Yep, I agree about Parry's 4th Symphony, 3rd and 5th aren't far behind in my book. Kinda irks me that so many British composers are ignored or even dismissed, especially in the field of opera.

[Ilja]

To be honest, I think British unsung composers have been served comparatively well, especially on record – probably not in the last place due to the strong position of British record labels such as Hyperion and Chandos. I can name quite a few countries that have much more to complain about.