Symphony no.4, op.29 The Inextinguishable (1914-16) [35:15]
Symphony no.5, op.50 (1921-22) [33:50]
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sakari Oramo
rec. August 2012 (Symphony no.4), June 2013 (Symphony no.5), Stockholm Concert Hall, Sweden
Hybrid SACD
BIS-2028 [69:46]
Sakari Oramo was chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
from 2008 until mid-2013. At that point he took charge of the
BBC Symphony Orchestra although he conducted only two concerts
in the 2013 season. Thus this recording is something of a farewell
issue, the Nielsen 5th having been made in June 2013.
Nielsen has been a feature of Oramo’s first full season,
and he is now two-thirds of the way through a cycle of the symphonies,
with the 5th to follow in April 2014, and the 6th,
Sinfonia Semplice, in May. So this issue is of particular
relevance to British music-lovers at present, and not having made
it to any of the concerts yet, I was interested to hear these
readings.
My verdict? Get tickets and get along to the remaining two events
if you possibly can – these are thrilling performances.
From the very beginning of the Inextinguishable, you
feel you are in for something very special. The energy Oramo pumps
into the opening of this great work is tremendous, and sets up
a momentum which he sustains throughout the work. He builds powerfully
to the first big climax at the end of the 1st movement’s
exposition. Equally impressive is the sudden hush, with those
strange little mutterings in oboe and horn. The recording by the
BIS engineers is exceptional, capturing all the detail with utmost
clarity, allowing for titanic tuttis as well as magical pianissimi.
In the short poco allegretto, Oramo draws playing of
great piquancy and humour from the Stockholm woodwind, reminding
us how important this composer was for Shostakovich and others
later in the 20th century. When it comes to the famous
pitched battle of the timpani in the finale, it is achieved with
frightening impact and clarity – exactly what Nielsen had
in mind. Throughout this amazing work, the orchestral playing
is of the very highest class, from all sections.
I was a little taken aback by the brisk start of the 5th;
checking the score, I found that it is marked crotchet = 100.
Oramo starts around 120, very much faster than marked
by Nielsen. Once more, the playing is superb, and the quick tempo
does provide palpable urgency. What you lose is that sense of
despondency, of lack of purpose that is the context for the evil
forces that invade the music, personified most obviously by the
side-drum. So there is a slight reservation here but it doesn’t
go too far. I admit to being swept away by, again, the momentum
developed by Oramo. When the great G major music begins, Oramo
asks for, and gets, expansiveness and grandeur from his players,
which creates the sharpest contrast with the spikiness and aggression
of the preceding music.
This movement is heading towards another pitched battle, even
more terrifying and memorable than that in the Inextinguishable.
The orchestra’s side-drummer launches a truly violent assault;
and it provoked an interesting question: what is it that Nielsen
saw as the greatest threat to our civilisation? Was it military
action? Or was it perhaps the equally mindless, ugly and seemingly
unstoppable march of trans-Atlantic popular music? Possibly both.
The great struggle, in which the noble melody eventually emerges
victorious, is fully as compelling as it should be. One small
disappointment: after its defeat (temporary) though, the side-drum
should surely be more clearly distant and off-stage;
here, it is all too audible, nearly as seemingly close as during
the earlier part of the movement, and the clarinet solo suffers
a little as a result.
Oramo sweeps us on into the confident swagger of the opening of
the second movement; there are only two in this symphony, though
each falls into a number of clearly defined sections. However,
that confidence proves brittle and short-lived, and Nielsen only
finds his way back to it after many set-backs. Through all of
these, the orchestra is magnificent; the string parts in this
movement are notorious, and there are any number of elephant traps
for the unwary. That said, Oramo’s grip on the music never
fails, and he sees the symphony through to its hard-earned conclusion.
These are central works in the canon of the 20th century
symphony, and these recordings are a truly significant contribution
to their performance history.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
Previous review: Dan
Morgan
Masterwork Index: Nielsen symphony 4 ~~ Symphony 5
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