ory ▁and ▁cons ol ing ▁music ▁of ▁our ▁time ." ▁ ▁With ▁the ▁Six th ▁Sym phony ▁( 1 9 4 8 ) ▁V aug han ▁Williams ▁once ▁again ▁conf ounded ▁expect ations . ▁Many ▁had ▁seen ▁the ▁Fif th , ▁composed ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁sevent y , ▁as ▁a ▁v aled ict ory ▁work , ▁and ▁the ▁tur bul ent , ▁trouble d ▁Six th ▁came ▁as ▁a ▁shock . ▁After ▁violent ▁orch est ral ▁cl ash es ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁movement , ▁the ▁obs ess ive ▁ost in ato ▁of ▁the ▁second ▁and ▁the ▁" di abol ic " ▁sch er zo , ▁the ▁finale ▁per plex ed ▁many ▁listen ers . ▁Descri bed ▁as ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁str ang est ▁jour ne ys ▁ever ▁undert aken ▁in ▁music ", ▁it ▁is ▁marked ▁pian iss imo ▁throughout ▁its ▁ 1 0 – 1 2 - min ute ▁duration . ▁ ▁S inf onia ▁ant art ica , ▁Sym phon ies ▁ 8 ▁and ▁ 9 ▁( 1 9 5 2 – 1 9 5 7 ) ▁The ▁sevent h ▁sym phony , ▁the ▁S inf onia ▁ant art ica ▁( 1 9 5 2 ), ▁a ▁by - product ▁of ▁the ▁composer ' s ▁score ▁for ▁Scott ▁of ▁the ▁Ant ar ctic , ▁has ▁consist ently ▁divided ▁critical ▁opinion ▁on ▁whether ▁it ▁can ▁be ▁properly ▁class ed ▁as ▁a ▁sym phony . ▁A lain ▁F rog ley ▁in ▁Gro ve ▁arg ues ▁that ▁though ▁the ▁work ▁can ▁make ▁a ▁deep