Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, was composed in 1937 (April–July) as a public response to the cultural condemnation he had suffered that year; it premiered on 21 November 1937 in Leningrad with Yevgeny Mravinsky and...

Benjamin Britten’s Symphony for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 68, was composed in 1963 and dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, who gave the premiere with Britten conducting the Moscow Philharmonic on 12 March 1964. The work’s title reflects...

REPRINT SERIES  Alan Rawsthorne’s Symphony No. 3 was composed in 1964 on commission from the Cheltenham Festival Committee and premiered that year by the BBC Northern Orchestra under George Hurst in Cheltenham.  Lasting approximately 31...

REPRINT SERIES Bacewicz’s Symphony No. 4 (1953) is a structured and rhythmically driven work reflecting her clear orchestration and formal control. Composed during the socialist realism period in Poland, it maintains clarity and energy while...

REPRINT SERIES Grażyna Bacewicz’s Symphony No. 3 (1952) is a striking example of her neoclassical style, blending dynamic orchestration with structural clarity. Composed during a period of increasing Soviet influence in Polish music, the work...

Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major, Op. 70 in 1945, following the Soviet victory in World War II. Unlike the grand, triumphant symphony many expected, it is a light, neoclassical work with a modest orchestration. The...

Roberto Gerhard's Symphony No. 3, composed in 1960, is a striking example of his transition from late romanticism to more modernist, experimental approaches. The symphony was written during a period of personal and professional transformation for...

Kurt Atterberg's Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 6, composed in 1911-12, is a work that reflects his early maturity and connection to the Romantic tradition. It is scored for a standard late-Romantic orchestra and unfolds over three movements. The...

REPRINT SERIES  Stravinsky wrote the symphony from 1942–45 on commission by the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was premièred by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Stravinsky on January 24, 1946.The Symphony in...

REPRINT SERIES Prokofiev's Symphony No. 4 is actually two works, both using material created for The Prodigal Son ballet. The first, Op. 47, was completed in 1930 and premiered that November; it lasts about 22 minutes. The second, Op. 112, is too...

It is fair to say that Szymanowski’s First Symphony (1906–07) was something of a reverse in his creative fortunes and is best regarded as a flawed if valiant attempt to write on a larger orchestral scale. The pre-eminent writer on...