A lifelong admirer of German musical culture, literature and thought, Brian wrote his Fourth Symphony �Das Siegeslied� (Psalm of Victory) at a time when Germany�s cultural heritage was being distorted by nationalism. Scored for double chorus, soprano and an orchestra of massive proportions, the work comprises two wild, martial movements enclosing a slow and contemplative one. With its peculiarly pitiless text glorifying �Macht und Kraft� (might and power) and music of barbaric splendour and violent expressive contrast, the Symphony can be seen as Brian�s apocalyptic vision of the direction in which Germany was heading. For the single-movement Twelfth Symphony, Brian still employs a large orchestra, but the language is pared down to essentials.