Performer: Gareth Davies

Carl Nielsen had an exceptional understanding of the nuances of woodwind instruments, and when playing the parts he wrote for flautists, the affection is almost palpable. Towards the end of his composing career, he thought of different orchestral instruments as having distinct personalities, and composed their interactions accordingly.

Gareth Davies, Principal Flute of the London Symphony Orchestra, talks about the furious scramble to keep up with Colin Davis performing Berlioz’s great hallucinatory symphony.