War and Peace

British music has always responded to the times. As war loomed in 1940, the young Benjamin Britten poured all his outrage and pain into his explosive Sinfonia da Requiem. Three years later, as Britain weathered the Blitz, the 71-year-old Vaughan Williams knew that something else was needed – and his serene Fifth Symphony is like a vision of peace. The most beautiful symphony ever written in this country? Decide for yourself.