Like Johannes Brahms, William Alwyn (1905-1985) waited until he was in his mid-forties to complete a symphony, wanting to be absolutely sure of his compositional technique and his strength of imagination before tackling the daunting symphonic form.

By this time, he had begun to think big. For some time he had conceived a plan for his first four symphonies, an unprecedented cycle of that would, symphony by symphony, mirror one traditional movement plan for a single symphony. The First Symphony would be like the exposition, the Second the slow movement, the third a march-scherzo with coda, and the Fourth an epilogue. Although every symphony would be a self-sufficient work, the thematic material of all four of them was to grow out of material originally presented in this symphony.

Alwyn got down seriously to writing this symphony and composed it in a few weeks during which he had an increasingly troublesome throat condition and learned that he would have to undergo surgery with only a 50:50 chance of survival. This gloomy and nerve-wracking prognosis made little impact on the symphony's emotional content, which remained warm and optimistic. Before the first performance by Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra in Cheltenham in 1950—by which time he had recovered from the surgery—Alwyn said of it, "There's beauty, grace and charm in the world yet, and plenty to live for. My Symphony might almost be described as an optimistic challenge."

The first movement is marked Adagio. It begins with a rising statement in the low strings and some restatement of it on other instruments, all with the expectant mood of a typical symphonic introduction, growing in tension until the music reaches a fast section. The listener takes this as the typical first subject of a sonata-allegro movement, perhaps overlooking that just before this happens the theme of the very opening has worked itself into a strong and self-sufficient melody. The fast section also develops itself, then loses momentum entirely before the music resumes at the initial slow tempo. At this point, elements of both movements seem to combine to create a broad melody in the character of a cinematic love theme. (Alwyn was a notable film score composer.) It is this theme that is worked out for the rest of the movement and rises to a sweeping and warm-hearted conclusion.

The second movement is the scherzo, Allegro leggiero, light in both mood and touch with a slower, very melodic trio section. Warm-hearted and expansive lyricism marks the slow movement, Adagio ma con moto. The finale satisfies the listener's so-far frustrated wish to hear a vigorous all-out fast movement with good strong sound. Its expression marking, Allegro jubilante aptly describes its uplifting and celebratory mood.

© Joseph Stevenson, All Music Guide