Andrew Manze’s interpretations of Vaughan Williams’ Symphonies have met with acclaim from audiences and critics alike. This second volume in the cycle from the RLPO and Andrew Manze feature Nos 3 & 4: two works heavily influenced by the Great War and its aftermath.

A repressed seething rage and sorrow at the futility of the war pervades No.3, “It is really wartime music - a great deal of it originated when I used to go up night after night in the ambulance wagon at Ecoivres” said the composer. The 3rd has been called RVW’s ‘War Requiem’. The 4th is a violent and turbulent work, reflecting the post Great War world and the political turmoil of the 1930s. The audience was perplexed by the nature of the music “I don’t know if I like it, but it’s what I meant” he said after the premiere.