The number of Nielsen symphony cycles has grown steadily, with more than a dozen available. The best are Schmidt (Regis), Vanska (BIS) and, top of the pile, Blomstedt (Decca). Michael Schonwandt’s for Dacapo (12/99, 9/00, 5/01) fared variably in these pages, its high-point the initial release of Nos 2 and 3, the low that of Nos 4 and 5 (which I enjoyed, despite its faults, a touch more than did David Fanning). For this new DVD cycle, Schonwandt took orchestra and works back into the concert hall in November 2004, coming out with leaner, fitter accounts, well prepared and played with undeniable enthusiasm. Timings overall are swifter compared with the CD set but while there is more fire in the collective belly the performances do not consistently raise the roof or possess the electricity that Bernstein, Blomstedt or Vanska found in this repertoire.

I have some reservations about the orchestral sound, particularly in Nos 1 and 2 where it occasionally lacks weight – the climax of the Second’s opening Allegro collerico, for instance. However, from the outset of the Sinfonia espansiva (No 3) the textures are fuller-bodied; perhaps the slightly cavernous acoustic of the Danish Radio Concert Hall was a factor, perhaps the orchestra were pacing themselves knowing the task ahead. The recorded balance is good throughout.

The video direction is of fairly standard concert broadcasting type, mixing orchestral panoramas with interesting details. The latter are overused and long before the Fifth I began to wonder whether there were more than two pretty violinists in the first section, if the tuba was alone in having an engraving or if only the trombonists could see their reflections in the bells of their instruments. The direction hits the spot, however, in the finale of No 4, The Inextinguishable, where the camera angles along both sets of rampaging timpani, with the brass caught between as if in crossfire.

The set is augmented by an extra disc with a useful documentary by composer Karl Aage Rasmussen setting the music in the context of Nielsen’s turbulent personal life. The English translation is read in curiously stilted fashion by Paul Hillier. Make sure that your DVD player is NTSC-capable or everything in colour will appear a rather unhealthy shade of pink (the sound is unaffected). On Disc 1, when playing movements individually, the menu irritatingly reverts to the First Symphony, whereas on Disc 2 it remembers where you were. All in all, a very worthwhile issue.