Thanks, Barry, and you’re right about Vaughan Williams’ comment. I wish you weren’t as Mahler is one of the very few composers I love as much as I do RVW!

As for Britten, I agree about the Simple Symphony and Sea Interludes to which could be added the Young Person’s Guide and I concede that War Requiem is a masterpiece and, having been partly responsible for a series of performances of ’Noyes Fludde’ here in Zimbabwe over thirty years ago, I think it is too – every performance brought tears to my eyes. But most of the rest...

And yes, of course Delius should be there (not sure how I missed him from my original list of omissions!) and Moeran too – superb symphony and a very fine cello concerto among other things. Which reminds me of Finzi, another omission - a wonderful cello concerto and one of the greatest songs in any language, ‘Fear no more the heat o’ the sun’.