In his Sixth Symphony, Nielsen included a "Humoresque" movement featuring small percussion instruments—triangle, glockenspiel, and side-drum—that "quarrel, each sticking to his own taste and inclinations."
Composer's Artistic Vision
Nielsen described his Sixth Symphony as having a "completely idyllic character," independent of contemporary fashion, but written with "fine and fervent devotion, just as the old a cappella masters wrote their music."
Composer Biography
During the composition of his Sixth Symphony, Nielsen met Arnold Schoenberg, finding him both intelligent and childish, a "rewarding combination."
Performer Biography
Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this album, is Principal Conductor of both the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and has recorded extensively for the BIS label.
Compositional Technique
The finale of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony features two sets of timpani placed at opposite ends of the orchestra, creating a powerful expression of "the elemental will to life."
Composition History
Nielsen began his Fourth Symphony in the summer of 1914, as World War I cast its shadow over Denmark and his family's finances were unstable after he left his conductor position at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For his Fourth Symphony, Nielsen aimed to express "the elementary qualities of music are light, life and movement, cutting the silence into pieces," and "all that has the will and the urge for life, which cannot be kept down."
