Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6

Andrew Manze's interpretations of Vaughan Williams's Symphonies have been met with acclaim from audiences and critics alike. This third volume in the series contains two masterpieces. Symphony No.5 (1943) draws on material from The Pilgrim's Progress (1906). One commentator at the time wrote that it displayed a ''greatness of soul.'' Symphony No.6 (1944-7) stunned the audience at its premiere. Some tried to explain the work's last movement as depicting a nuclear wasteland. The composer denied it was a war symphony, aligning it to this quote from the Tempest: ''We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded by a sleep.''