Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Symphony no. 4, "The Inextinguishable," Op.29

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Singapore

Yo-Yo Ma thrills and enthralls Singapore audience

By Chang Tou Liang, 25 September 2025

At the threshold of seventy, Yo-Yo Ma still a box office dream, plays Dvořák with the Singapore Symphony.

****1

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****1

Singapore

25 Sep 2025

Yo-Yo Ma thrills and enthralls Singapore audience

By Chang Tou Liang

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Los Angeles

From ice to fire with Ryan Bancroft and the Los Angeles Philharmonic

By Laurence Vittes, 26 April 2025

Ryan Bancroft leads the LA Phil through Hillborg’s shimmering Sound Atlas, Mozart’s dramatic C minor concerto with Yeol Eum Son, and a fiery, full-throttle performance of Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony.

***11

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***11

Los Angeles

26 Apr 2025

From ice to fire with Ryan Bancroft and the LA Phil

By Laurence Vittes

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London

Edge-of-your-seat Nielsen from Ryan Bancroft and the Philharmonia

By Chris Garlick, 04 May 2023

A first-rate performance of Carl Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony proves to be the musical highlight of this Philharmonia concert.

****1

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****1

London

04 May 2023

Edge-of-your-seat Nielsen from Ryan Bancroft and the Philharmonia

By Chris Garlick

Kansas City

Birth of Cool: Ray Ushikubo revels in Gershwin in Kansas City

By Hilary Stroh, 31 March 2023

Pianist Ray Ushikubo turns violinist in his star turn with the Kansas City Symphony and Thomas Wilkins.

****1

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Kansas City

31 Mar 2023

Birth of Cool: Ray Ushikubo revels in Gershwin in Kansas City

By Hilary Stroh

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London

A farewell to arms: Dausgaard's impressive valediction to the BBC Scottish Symphony

By Alexander Hall, 18 August 2022

Thomas Dausgaard and his Scottish players probe beneath the surface in symphonies by Sibelius and Nielsen, while Jan Lisiecki seeks out maximum contrasts in a Beethoven concerto.

****1

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****1

London

18 Aug 2022

A farewell to arms: Dausgaard's impressive valediction to the BBC SSO

By Alexander Hall

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Glasgow

Epic Nielsen a fitting farewell for Thomas Dausgaard at the BBC Scottish SO

By David Smythe, 19 May 2022

BBCSSO bids a fitting farewell to outgoing Chief Conductor Thomas Dausgaard with two epic Nielsen symphonies and memorable Mozart from clarinettist Jörg Widmann.

****1

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****1

Glasgow

19 May 2022

Epic Nielsen a fitting farewell for Thomas Dausgaard at the BBC SSO

By David Smythe

London

Killer concerto, life-affirming symphony: Kozhukhin, Saraste and the BBC SO

By Alexander Hall, 06 May 2022

Two powerful, virtually contemporaneous statements from Prokofiev and Nielsen: Denis Kozhukhin is a commanding soloist in the concerto and Jukka-Pekka Saraste with the BBC SO convincingly ride the waves of the symphony.

****1

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London

06 May 2022

Killer concerto, life-affirming symphony at the Barbican

By Alexander Hall

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New York City

“The elemental will to live”: Blomstedt's life-affirming Nielsen with the New York Phil

By Edward Sava-Segal, 04 March 2022

The 94-year old conductor explores, with his trademark modesty and diligence, two symphonies extolling similar live affirming sentiments.

****1

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New York City

04 Mar 2022

The elemental will to live: Blomstedt's life-affirming Nielsen in NYC

By Edward Sava-Segal

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Liverpool

“Inextinguishable” Nielsen from Domingo Hindoyan in Liverpool

By Rohan Shotton, 03 March 2022

Domingo Hindoyan conducts a thoughtful account of Nielsen's Fourth Symphony with the RLPO.

****1

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Liverpool

03 Mar 2022

“Inextinguishable” Nielsen from Domingo Hindoyan in Liverpool

By Rohan Shotton

London

Exceptional Nielsen from Edward Gardner and the LPO

By Chris Garlick, 09 October 2019

An auspiciously successful concert for the LPO and their new Principal Conductor Designate Edward Gardner, crowned by an exceptional performance of the Nielsen.

****1

****1

London

09 Oct 2019

Exceptional Nielsen from Edward Gardner and the LPO

By Chris Garlick

London

Diamonds in the snow: Rattle, Hannigan and the LSO

By Alexander Hall, 10 January 2019

Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO kick off the New Year by showcasing a contemporary vocal masterpiece (with Barbara Hannigan as soloist) together with two symphonies by Nordic composers.

****1

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London

10 Jan 2019

Diamonds in the snow: Rattle, Hannigan and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

London

Italian Passion ignites a blazing Inextinguishable Symphony at the Barbican

By David Truslove, 05 February 2017

In a cleverly-designed programme, Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra brought meticulous attention to detail and plenty of drama in three superb performances.

****1

****1

London

05 Feb 2017

Italian Passion ignites a blazing Inextinguishable Symphony at the Barbican

By David Truslove

Turku

Danse macabre: Barnabás Kelemen's dark Shostakovich in Turku

By Olli Lehtonen, 17 November 2016

Barnabás Kelemen gave a strong performance of Shostakovich to last a dark polar night in Turku.

***11

***11

Turku

17 Nov 2016

Danse macabre: Barnabas Kelemen's dark Shostakovich

By Olli Lehtonen

London

Gripping Prokofiev: superlative music-making from the amazing Trifonov

By Roy Westbrook, 07 April 2016

Sibelius and Nielsen still in very good hands at the LSO, but whence comes such a gift as that of Daniil Trifonov?

****1

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London

07 Apr 2016

Superlative music-making from the amazing Trifonov

By Roy Westbrook

Cleveland

Alan Gilbert leads Stephen Hough and The Cleveland Orchestra in a virtuoso Dvořák Piano Concerto

By Timothy Robson, 03 March 2016

Stephen Hough made light of the technical challenges of Dvořák's Piano Concerto; Carl Nielsen’s “Inextinguishable” symphony was an electrifying second half.

****1

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Cleveland

03 Mar 2016

Virtuoso Dvořák from Hough and Gilbert in Cleveland

By Timothy Robson

Dublin

Inextinguishable force of life: Jensen conducts a riveting Nielsen

By Andrew Larkin, 29 January 2016

The stark forces of Nielsen and Britten were ably brought out by Jensen and the NSO; theirSchubert failed to convince.

***11

***11

Dublin

29 Jan 2016

Inextinguishable force of life: Jensen conducts a riveting Nielsen

By Andrew Larkin

Birmingham

Triumphant Trpčeski rocks with Rachmaninov in Birmingham

By Robert Gainer, 23 September 2015

Cristian Măcelaru brought his pedigree as a conductor to the CBSO with Sibelius, Rachmaninov and Nielsen. How would he fare in Birmingham with such a varied programme?

****1

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Birmingham

23 Sep 2015

Triumphant Trpčeski rocks with Rachmaninov

By Robert Gainer

Manchester

Blistering Nielsen from the BBC Philharmonic and John Storgårds

By Rohan Shotton, 09 June 2015

John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic in Carl Nielsen's First and Fourth (Inextinguishable) Symphonies with Roderick Williams singing Mahler's Wunderhorn songs in Manchester.

*****

*****

Manchester

09 Jun 2015

Blistering Nielsen from the BBC Philharmonic

By Rohan Shotton

Vienna

Homecoming for the Maestro: Vienna Philharmonic with Welser-Most

By Ako Imamura, 06 June 2015

The former music director of Vienna State Opera led a brilliant concert focused on Northern European composers at the Musikverein.

****1

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Vienna

06 Jun 2015

Homecoming for the Maestro: VPO with Welser-Most

By Ako Imamura

Montreal

Storgårds leads a Nordic journey in Montréal

By Christina Volpini, 22 April 2015

Ranging from the famous Grieg Piano Concerto to a lesser known work of Sibelius, this concert featured a vast array of orchestral colour evoking the shimmering landscapes of the North.

***11

***11

Montreal

22 Apr 2015

Storgårds leads a Nordic journey in Montréal

By Christina Volpini

London

Bringing fire to Nielsen's Inextinguishable: BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo

By Penny Homer, 18 February 2015

A powerful performance of Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony is in broad contrast to its elegant companions at the Barbican.

****1

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London

18 Feb 2015

Bringing fire to Nielsen's Inextinguishable

By Penny Homer

Amsterdam

Alexander Gavrylyuk delivers exquisite Rachmaninov, while Schønwandt misses the mark

By David Pinedo, 03 October 2014

In an uneven concert, Alexander Gavrylyuk outshone everyone with his part in Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, casting a shadow over a fragmented RCO led by Michael Schønwandt in Sibelius and Nielsen.

***11

***11

Amsterdam

03 Oct 2014

Alexander Gavrylyuk delivers exquisite Rachmaninov

By David Pinedo

London

Prom 6: Nobuyuki Tsujii's Proms debut with the BBC Philharmonic and Juanjo Mena

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 16 July 2013

A world première, a blind pianist and a timpani showdown – Prom 6, with the BBC Philharmonic and their chief conductor Juanjo Mena, was not lacking in content. The three big works commenced with David Matthews’ A Vision of the Sea, which was commissioned by the BBC for this Prom.

****1

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London

16 Jul 2013

Prom 6: Nobuyuki Tsujii's Proms debut with the BBC Philharmonic and Juanjo Mena

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Los Angeles

Loving Lang Lang: Heroic Tchaikovsky and Nielsen with Dudamel in Los Angeles

By Ted Ayala, 02 May 2013

Among among certain classical music cognoscenti, few statements will probably cause one to lose more cred than saying this: “I love Lang Lang.” More than a decade after his debut, the 31-year-old pianist’s fame shows no sign of abating.

*****

*****

Los Angeles

02 May 2013

Loving Lang Lang: Heroic Tchaikovsky and Nielsen with Dudamel in Los Angeles

By Ted Ayala

London

Passionately troubled: BBC Symphony Orchestra and Dausgaard in Nielsen, Prokofiev and Bloch

By Chris Garlick, 22 February 2013

Whoever curated last night’s BBC SO concert, conducted by Thomas Dausgaard, needs a medal. Not only were the pieces united by virtue of being composed at the same time during the dark years of the First World War, but also each composer seems to find something passionately troubled to say which reflected their vintage – an unusual combination of neglected works, two of which are masterpieces.

****1

****1

London

22 Feb 2013

Passionately troubled: BBC Symphony Orchestra and Dausgaard in Nielsen, Prokofiev and Bloch

By Chris Garlick

Oslo

Rachmaninov and Nielsen with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

By Aksel Tollåli, 01 November 2012

Thursday’s concert with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra started not with music, but with an award ceremony. It was the Norwegian Sibelius Society that gave away its annual award for the strengthening of cultural ties between Norway and Finland.

****1

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Oslo

01 Nov 2012

Rachmaninov and Nielsen with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

By Aksel Tollåli

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Barcelona

Las sinfonías de la vida con Juanjo Mena, Narek Hakhnazaryan y la OBC

By Maria Sánchez, 06 November 2022

Un concierto cargado de tensión, energía y acrobacias musicales en una programación hecha para el lucimiento orquestal, con un ejercicio rotundo dominado por la dirección de Juanjo Mena.

*****

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*****

Barcelona

06 Nov 2022

Las sinfonías de la vida con Juanjo Mena, Narek Hakhnazaryan y la OBC

By Maria Sánchez

Brussels

Buniatishvili assomme Bozar, Schønwandt enflamme le Nordic Festival

By Patrice Lieberman, 18 October 2019

Dans le cadre du Nordic Festival, le Belgian National Orchestra a fait honneur aux musiques de Sibelius, Grieg et Nielsen sous la baguette inspirée de Michael Schønwandt. Dans le concerto, Khatia Buniatishvili n'a pas convaincu.

***11

***11

Brussels

18 Oct 2019

Buniatishvili assomme Bozar, Schønwandt enflamme le Nordic Festival

By Patrice Lieberman

Mexico City

Música contra el olvido: la Orquesta de la UNAM recuerda y reflexiona

By Maby Muñoz-Hénonin, 06 October 2018

En el marco del quincuagésimo aniversario del movimiento estudiantil del 68, la OFUNAM nos ofreció un programa cuidadosamente elegido, con tres obras que pasaron de la explícita conmemoración de lo sucedido el 2 de octubre de 1968 en Tlatelolco a una reflexión optimista sobre la permanencia de la vida, y de la música, a pesar de la muerte y las atrocidades humanas.

***11

***11

Mexico City

06 Oct 2018

Música contra el olvido

By Maby Muñoz-Hénonin

La Coruña

Cien años de música de la mano de Slobodeniouk y la Sinfónica de Galicia

By Pablo Sánchez Quinteiro, 06 April 2018

La temporada de la Sinfónica de Galicia volvía a dirigir su mirada hacia la música compuesta en los últimos cien años. Dima Slobodeniouk elaboró un atractivo programa conformado por tres obras relativamente infrecuentes y pertenecientes a mundos sonoros muy dispares, pero en los tres casos con un sello propio e inconfundible que tanto el director como los músicos realzaron brillantemente.

****1

****1

La Coruña

06 Apr 2018

La OSG despliega mordacidaz, melaconlía y arrebato en una misma noche

By Pablo Sánchez Quinteiro