The Danish National Symphony Orchestra play Nielsen's Symphony No. 5

In 2023, the great Italian conductor Fabio Luisi leads six concerts dedicated to the six symphonies of the legendary 20th-century Danish composer Carl Nielsen. In the Danish Radio concert hall, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra brilliantly interprets this colorful music in a spirited atmosphere. The orchestra is joined by the magnificent Danish National Concert Choir and Danish National Junior Choir, as well as various solo voices in this exceptional concert series. Other masterpieces by the composer enrich the evening programs.

The premiere of this unnamed symphony took place on January 24, 1922 in Copenhagen, and was conducted by Carl Nielsen himself. While being unnamed is strange enough, it also has an unusual two-part structure: the composer found it ideal for denser harmonic and orchestral writing, which can be seen in the play of dissonances and the strong presence of percussion.

Photo © Per Morten Abrahamsen