Vaughan Williams Symphony No 4, in F minor

Sir Lennox Berkeley says:
'Vaughan Williams's fourth symphony, with its wildly plunging 'motto' theme, its violent outbursts and menacing gestures, was found somewhat disconcerting, I remember, at the time of its first performance in 1935. It revealed a new and unexpected side to his musical personality, and some thought the work was influenced by the troubled atmosphere of those post-war days. This may be so - though I don't believe that exterior events necessarily produce an immediate reaction in music: some of Mozart's most serene work, for instance, was written at times of extreme stress.'