Nielsen [Symphony] Symphonies – No. 4, “The inextinguishable”, FS76; No. 5, FS97. Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

Finlandia (Full price) (CD) 3984-21439-2 (72 minutes: DDD). Recorded in association with the Finnish Performing Music Promotion Centre (ESEK).

An impressive account of the Fourth Symphony, which can, I think, hold its own among the very best now before the public. The opening, to use Robert Simpson’s image, “at once hurls the hearer into the heart of a flaming nebula: with explosive violence it plunges in medias res with two conflicting streams of fire” and this is splendidly conveyed here. The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra bring a feeling of urgent intensity to the slow movement and Saraste is carefully attentive to matters of dynamics and phrasing. There is one moment (seven bars after fig. 6: track 1, 2'48") marked un pochettino di piu where I felt he held back a little too much. Indeed, overall the current flows with a fractionally lower charge than Grondahl (and in the case of the slow movement Blomstedt), but he builds up the musical argument powerfully to a strong and convincing climax: in this respect he is far more successful that the otherwise impressive Berglund.

Nor do I think the Fifth can be faulted: it is also powerfully conceived with a strong command both of detail and the overall architecture of the piece. The opening moves but is atmospheric, with careful attention to dynamic nuance and texture. I cannot remember hearing the tranquillo section (two bars before fig. 24: track 5, 9'37") more sensitively handled: it is both poetic and mysterious. While the desolate solo clarinet does not extinguish memories of Olle Schill in Myung-Whun Chung’s Gothenburg performance or Stanley Drucker in Bernstein’s account, he is still very good. Neeme Jarvi, normally so reliable in Nielsen, is too brisk in this movement. Saraste paces the second movement splendidly too. The engineers cope admirably with the dryish acoustic of the Helsinki Culture Hall: they produce exemplary clarity and it is only at the ends of movements or in the general pause that precedes the final Allegro of No. 4 where one becomes aware of this. Of course both Grondahl and Jensen are mandatory purchases but among modern recordings, this new Finlandia issue deserves to be recommended alongside Blomstedt’s San Francisco coupling. Some may even prefer it.

RL