Search - Vaughan Williams, Slatkin, Philharmonia Orch :: Symphonies 3 & 4

Constant Lambert, the noted English composer, critic, and alcoholic, referred to Vaughan Williams's Pastoral Symphony as sounding like "a cow looking over a barn gate." An immortal quip, no doubt, but not really applicable. The countryside being illustrated isn't English at all, but rather French--the composer was stationed there during the First World War, and this provided the music's initial inspiration. The Fourth Symphony, by contrast, sounds like an imaginary soundtrack to Godzilla Eats London. It's very violent (and very exciting), and even the composer wasn't sure if he liked it. If you like your music lean and mean, then this symphony's for you. Both works are marvelously performed and recorded. --David Hurwitz