#GoodNightListening

Nielsen: Symphony No 5.

The piece that introduced Nielsen to me. It's a beautiful modernist wonder. The meaning of every element is clear when introduced and then later when they are combined no clarity is lost. A remarkable feat.

The pacing of especially the first movement (there are only two) is expansive but it never flags, even for a second.

Nielsen described it as portraying "the division of dark and light, the battle between evil and good". The notes in the recording I first had suggested a war theme, with the military snare drum representing one side of the conflict, eventually succumbing to the massed forces of the rest of the orchestra.

This is a performance from 2023 with Herbert Blomstedt conducting, aged 95. It was his recording with the San Francisco Symphony that I heard first, so this is a tip of my hat to him.

https://youtu.be/pOohguxFpKY

#classicalmusic #carlnielsen