More fiery and dramatic Nielsen from Sir Colin Davis and the LSO in the second instalment of their cycle of the symphonies. Their directness and verve recall nothing so much as the orchestra’s previous cycle with
Ole Schmidt back in the 1970s but with greatly superior playing (apart from the orchestra’s unfamiliarity with much of the music, the earlier recording sessions were bedevilled by power strikes).

The First Symphony here is beautifully paced, balancing drive with poetry. The slow movement may be on the broad side but, buoyed up by such musicianship and affection, it can take it. True, the heavy brass and timpani loom rather large in fortissimo tutti passages, which affects parts of both scherzo and finale. But that is the only reason I would hesitate to rank the performance alongside the very best.

If Davis’s affinity for Berlioz pays dividends in the First Symphony, with the Sinfonia semplice it is his Stravinskian credentials that stand him in good stead (there are even anticipations of his beloved Tippett in places). In the great first movement the LSO strings seize on the fearsome counterpart with fantastic relish, and Davis has his finger on the psychological as well as the rhythmic pulse. More controversial is his treatment of the ‘Humoreske’, which is so measured as to lose much of its edge. Perhaps Davis’s point is to bring out a subtext of lethargy and ennui. Several hearings have not convinced me, however, and the blurring of the contrast with the succeeding ‘Proposta seria’ – itself a little tentative, though with some subtly atmospheric touches – seems to me a high price to pay. Nor does the finale quite have the swing of a fully seasoned account. With Blomstedt’s readings an outrageous online bargain these days, the recommendation for his classic versions stands.