Commissioned by the Cheltenham Festival Society, Malcolm Arnold's Fifth Symphony Op.74 was composed in 1960 and first performed in 1961 (the year of his fortieth birthday). The work was composed towards the end of a period of intense compositional activity. Surrounded by controversy and criticism for its unashamed Neo-Romantic style at the time of composition, it is now rightly heralded as a work of art.
Edited by Millan Sachania.