Gramophone: outstanding; Penguin Guide 3 stars.
This album features two significant orchestral works by Danish composer Carl Nielsen, performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung.
Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 – “The Four Temperaments”
Inspired by a humorous painting depicting the four human temperaments—choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic, and sanguine—Nielsen composed this symphony to musically portray each character type. Though humorous in origin, the result is a serious and vividly expressive work, full of personality and color. Each movement reflects a temperament: the fiery and impulsive Allegro collerico, the calm and unbothered Allegro flemmatico, the introspective Andante malincolico, and the jovial Allegro sanguineo.
Aladdin – Suite for Orchestra, Op. 34
This concert suite is drawn from Nielsen’s stage music for Adam Oehlenschläger’s play *Aladdin*. Originally written for a lavish theatrical production, Nielsen later arranged key movements into an orchestral suite. It includes richly characterized dances and scenes—from the exotic Oriental Festival March and the delicate Morning Mist dance to the stylized Chinese and Hindu dances and the powerful Negro Dance. Despite early performance frustrations, the suite remains one of Nielsen’s most colorful and imaginative works.
This recording captures Nielsen’s vivid orchestral storytelling and his ability to balance humor, emotion, and craftsmanship in music.
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