Symphony No. 1 in D minor, "The Gothic" (1919-1927) Part I Movement I: Allegro assai According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Gothic Symphony is the largest symphony ever written - larger even than Mahler's Eighth (Symphony of a Thousand). It is the first symphony by British composer William "Havergal" Brian (1876-1972), a contemporary of Granville Bantock, Ralph Vaughan Williams and