'Lacerating opening chords, a corporate pizzicato upbeat, and we were off. Within seconds, the sibilance of a snare-drum signalled the jazz-inflected undercurrents which would coalesce in a cadenza for piano originally written for André Previn.'
The Times (Hilary Finch), 4 November 2002
'The first two of the original three movements – are now compacted into a bipartite single stretch (fast-slow), making a formal synthesis as compelling in its way as the work’s linguistic synthesis of 12-tonery and jazz. Like most of Knussen’s music, the new-old (20-minute) symphony has a sheer aural delectability that made one long for an immediate repeat performance.'
The Sunday Times (Paul Driver), 10 November 2002
'The reworked symphony remains a virtuosic synthesis of musical styles, from Stravinskian rhythms and jazz-like gestures to rigorous modernism. Yet throughout the piece Knussen’s distinctive compositional voice can be heard. Typically, the work crams an astonishing diversity of material into a tightly integrated 15-minute structure. It ends unpredictably with an intense, lamenting string line.'
The Guardian (Tom Service), 4 November 2002