Stokowski conducts Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 4 - NBC Symphony (1943)

In 1941, Stokowski was engaged on a 3-season contract to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra due to Toscanini taking a temporary leave of absence. In addition to conducting the familiar symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and so on, Stokowski programmed a great deal of contemporary music and championed many living composers. One of these was Ralph Vaughan Williams, his one-time fellow organ student at the Royal College of Music in London during the 1890s. On 14 March 1943, Stokowski conducted RVW's severe and dissonant 4th Symphony for the only time in his life. Perhaps its grim turbulence didn't appeal to him. Indeed, the composer himself was to say in later years: "I'm not at all sure that I like it myself now." In any event, the New York Times praised Stokowski's performance and noted that "the fine dynamics, splendid tone and intensely built-up climaxes produced a most satisfactory reading of this great symphony." (From Cala Records CACD0528).

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