The reviews from that first performance were, however, generally positive. The critic of "The Daily Telegraph" lauded Elgar's "firmer grip, not only of the symphonic form, but of the substance expressed within its confines." This reviewer would also attest "there are heights here that hitherto even Elgar himself had not touched, but we are doubtful if the greater public will realise the fact immediately." The critic of "The Times" acclaimed the work as "a great deal better than his first", remarking that the second and fourth movements in particular "touch the composer's highest mark."