Sir Malcolm Arnold was born in Northampton, England, in 1921 and quickly established himself as a fluent and versatile composer, as well as a brilliant orchestrator. Arnold’s music springs directly from dance and song. It is typically lucid in texture, rich in melody and clear in draughtsmanship. The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies are well contrasted. The Seventh, completed in 1973 and dedicated to the composer’s three children, displays throughout unremitting energy, tragedy and defiance. The Eighth Symphony was written in 1978, while Arnold was living in Ireland and combines the upbeat of Arnold’s lighter music with pensive and questioning passages.