Prior to composing this work, Simpson had in mind to write a symphony for one particular listener and decided asked a close friend, painter Anthony Dorrell, to describe the kind of symphony he would like to hear.
The resulting work was this large-scale four-movement symphony in two halves, each half containing two movements that are played without a break in between each other.
It is full of violent, stark and almost feral brass outbursts in the midst of suppressed violence.
It opens with a slow fugue, and as the movement progresses the aim of calm and serenity following the horrific first part comes closer to vision.
The main subject is derived from the fugue from the third movement, gradually developing to give a sense of harmonic fluidity.