In Nielsen’s Second Symphony, The Four Temperaments, we feel the full force of the mature composer’s vision. Taking the Medieval idea of the ‘four humours’ of the human constitution, Nielsen constructs a drama of vivid contrasts, from impetuous violence of the first ‘choleric’ movement to the irresistible dancing breeziness of the ‘sanguine’ finale. In between comes a ‘melancholy’ Andante of majestic expressive power, worthy of Rachmaninov, whose consoling cantata Spring opens the concert, performed with baritone Igor Golovatenko and BBC Symphony Chorus. The male chorus s American master-pianist Garrick Ohlsson for Busoni’s extraordinary and gargantuan concerto, once called ‘a hymn to immoderation’.
BBC SO Plus Intro
6.00pm Fountain Room
Daniel Grimley (University of Oxford) gives a free introduction to the music in tonight’s concert.
