Leader, Paul Beard
Conductor, Sir Adrian Boult
Although the D minor Symphony appeared in 1851 as No. 4, it was actually sketched soon after the Symphony No. 1. But Schumann withheld it for ten years and then thoroughly revised its construction and orchestration. In a letter, Brahms, who after Schumann's death arranged for the publication of the original version, said: The original scoring has always delighted me. It is a real pleasure to see anything so bright and spontaneous expressed with corresponding ease and grace. It reminds me (without comparing it in other respects) of Mozart's G minor..... Everything is so absolutely natural that you cannot imagine it different ; there are no harsh colours, no forced effects and so on.'