Osmo Vänskä’s performances of Nielsen’s Third and Fourth Symphonies are as fine as those on his previous disc (of Nos. 1 and 6) were deficient. The “Espansiva” starts at a spanking pace and the excitement never lets up for the entire first movement. Vänskä has, to excellent effect, forsworn his previous, mannered approach to tempo. Listen to the melodic continuity he achieves in the second movement’s passionate violin interjections, or to the perfect tempo he adopts for the finale, which ought to “play itself” but so seldom does owing to all kinds of unnecessary meddling from the podium. Vänskä has plenty of points to make, but he makes them through characterful phrasing, careful instrumental balances, and well-sprung rhythms. “The Inextinguishable” shares many of the same virtues: a propulsive first movement, some lovely wind playing in the Poco Allegretto, committed string playing in the slow movement, and (wonder of wonders!) Vänskä gets the tempo relationships in the finale exactly right (as did Schonwandt in his recent recording for Dacapo).
Is there a fly in this ointment? Well, yes. It concerns the orchestra, which clearly gives the conductor everything he asks for, but which nonetheless remains a bit thin-toned in the strings and a touch coarse in the brass at climaxes. The recording venue also sounds less than ideal. Certainly there are no complaints about BIS’s excellently balanced perspectives, but there’s also little bottom to the ensemble, a touch of excessive brightness in fortissimos, and the timpani lack impact at any but the loudest dynamic levels (critical in the finale of the Fourth). The result, then, isn’t perfect and doesn’t surpass the new Dacapo set under Schonwandt as a first choice in this music–but it’s almost as good, and the performances are eminently worth hearing for Vänskä’s fresh and energetic view of both works.
