Nielsen Violin Concerto; Symphony No. 4 ‘The Inextinguishable’ James Ehnes (violin); Bergen Philharmonic/Edward Gardner Chandos CHSA 5311 (CD/SACD) 67:51 mins
Nielsen’s symphonies follow perhaps the most satisfying evolution of any late- 19th-early- 20th-century cycle, even if each is perfect in itself. Other orchestral works share the characteristics of their contemporary symphonies, so perhaps it would make most sense to pair the Violin Concerto with the Third rather than the Fourth; the thumbprints and connections are many. What we have here, though, is what Nielsen himself programmed as conductor in what was his only London concert.
It couldn’t have a better advocate than James Ehnes: strong in his lyricism when he needs to be, alert to all dynamics and a sense of fantasy which is outstanding in the two cadenzas. The form is still puzzling – the opening ‘Praeludium’ evolves far more memorably than the short poco adagio, and into a much more earwormy tune – but Nielsen does excel in a concerto rondo that’s up there with the best, teeming with ideas, and more concise than most.
The Symphony is the unified masterpiece, though. I’ve heard more sheerly explosive eruptions at the start than the one Edward Gardner conjures, and the first movement doesn’t quite have the consistent momentum of the most flowing interpretations. But the Bergen woodwind capture the delicious shyness of the ensuing intermezzos, and from the point that violas and cellos join the iron-clad string declamations of the slow movement, the performance catches consistent fire, with a proper headlong impulse to the glorious finale. The recording is immediate, rich and dynamically full-range.
David Nice
