'I hear in this symphony an extraordinary feeling for the sound of poetry and for its meanings, a sure skill in timing and in plotting the motions from event to event, and beyond any question, that gift without which you might as well give up being a composer, the gift of writing music that keeps you fully absorbed.'
Boston Globe (Michael Steinberg), 5 March 1972
'…Knussen’s short symphony shone like a beacon of craftsmanship and clear thinking.'
Financial Times (Andrew Clements), 4 February 1983