Symphony No. 4 (Vaughan Williams)

Ralph Vaughan Williams composed his fourth symphony between 1931 and 1935. Unlike his first three symphonies, it was not given a title: the composer said that it was to be understood as pure music, without any incidental or external inspiration. In contrast to many of Vaughan Williams's previous compositions, the symphony displays a severity of tone. It is in four movements, scored for a large orchestra.

The first performance was given at the Queen's Hall, London, on 10 April 1935; Adrian Boult conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra. There have been many recordings of the symphony, beginning with one made two years after the premiere featuring the BBC orchestra conducted by the composer.

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