Sakari Oramo’s cycle of Nielsen symphonies for the BIS label draws to a triumphant, blistering close with “The Four Temperaments” and “Sinfonia Semplice”, radically different pieces separated by 22 years but with parallels exploited to the full by the wonderfully responsive Stockholm players. For example, the second symphony’s beautifully evocative third movement (the melancholic temperament) is mirrored by the anxiety of the adagio of the last symphony. Oramo is totally in control, letting the panic of the first movement of the sixth take hold with alarming speed but also giving the orchestra space to breathe, as in the broad first movement of “The Four Temperaments”, allowing its rich, full-bodied sound to overwhelm us.
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