Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5

Chronique

Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra serve up a marvelous pair of recordings on this 2011 SACD that offers Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 4 ("Inextinguishable") and the Symphony No. 5. Because of Davis' late arrival in conducting these works, some Nielsen devotees might be skeptical about the depth of his interpretations. But anyone familiar with his great recordings of the symphonies of Jean Sibelius will be excited at the prospect of hearing him lead the LSO in Nielsen's most popular symphonies. Davis clearly has a grasp of Nielsen's style, and his understanding of the music seems to accord with mainstream performances in his tempos and balance choices. The playing is exceptional in these live recordings, and the clarity of the DSD reproduction allows the music to be heard in the full dynamic range. Nielsen's Fourth falls more or less in the expected range of pianissimo to fortissimo, but the Fifth has a much wider range, from the extremely soft tremolos of the opening to the powerful climax of the first part, with the snare drum playing with demonic fury against the wall of orchestral sound. But this SACD isn't merely a showcase for the orchestra's sonorities, for it fills a need for first-rate super audio recordings of these symphonies. Not only has Davis given the state-of-the-art treatment to the Fourth and the Fifth, but the remaining Symphonies No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 6 will receive the same deluxe presentation from LSO Live. Highly recommended.

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