Antal Doráti (1906–1988), renowned primarily as a conductor, was also a significant composer. His two symphonies, described here in his own words with characteristic modesty, are richly personal works. The First Symphony is in five movements cast in compact sonata form, its themes worked out dramatically from the outset. The Second Symphony carries a more explicitly spiritual dimension, incorporating a quotation from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis used 'with the greatest humility', and music that points — however utopically — towards peace and reconciliation. Doráti himself conducts the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble with which he had a long and distinguished relationship.