Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto, his good-natured, warts-and-all portrait of Aage Oxenvad (clarinettist at the Wind Quintet’s premiere), has only slowly risen to the forefront of 20th-century concertos. Nowadays it is almost a staple of the repertoire – there are usually between 10 and 12 versions available at any time – so competition is fairly fierce. Ib Eriksson set the benchmark in 1954 and Stanley Drucker (with Bernstein, Sony – nla) raised the bar 12 years later, performances emphasising the combative and choleric elements in the music (presumably reflecting Oxenvad’s temperament) that have never really been surpassed.

Yet Nielsen’s compact, complex score can be interpreted a number of ways and later soloists – such as Olle Schill (BIS), Richard Stoltzman (RCA, A/02) and especially Niels Thomsen (Chandos, 4/91) – have produced more rounded accounts, finding lighter character traits while benefiting from far finer sound. Karin Dornbusch blends successfully the music’s tempestuous, ebullient and lyrical moods into a convincing whole. Her tone is a delight and she is ably supported by the Gävle SO under their relatively new director, Petri Sakari. If not replacing Thomsen, my favourite among modern versions, this quicker-paced newcomer makes a fine alternative.

The couplings make for an intriguing programme. Fernström suggested, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, that his much briefer 1930 Concerto was as much a psychological study of the instrument’s soul as Nielsen’s, though one with a different history. Fernström’s, rather than Kaipainen’s more advanced Carpe diem (1990), is the real novelty since the Finn’s concerto has been on disc for more than a decade. The Swedish players show zeal and I like Dornbusch’s and Sakari’s way with the music. With excellent sound, this is highly recommendable.