Göteborgs Konserthus Nordic sounds with VÄGUS

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) Symfoni No. 4 "The Four Temperaments" When Carl Nielsen in the years 1918-1920 periodically substituted for Wilhelm Stenhammar as conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony, he took the opportunity to perform his second symphony from 1902, called "The Four Temperaments". His impression of the orchestra at this time is touching: "Now I have had a rehearsal with the orchestra and it is a great artistic satisfaction to play with these people, for they follow my slightest cue and show me so much respect that I am almost embarrassed." So how did the second symphony come about? The composer himself told its story: "I got the idea for the symphony The four temperaments many years ago in a village pub in Zealand, Denmark. When I was drinking a glass of beer with my wife and some friends, I observed a most comical picture hanging on the wall in an old gilt frame.The picture was divided into four fields, in which "temperaments" were presented with titles: the choleric, the phlegmatic, the melancholic, and the sanguine. The choleric sat on a horse. He had a long sword in his hand, with which he slashed wildly into the empty air. The eyes were staring, the hair was fluttering and his face gave an expression of anger and satanic hatred that made me burst out laughing.” In the second movement, Nielsen describes a young man he met: "I have never seen him dance. He was too inactive for that, but he could swing his body in a slow waltz rhythm." The third movement depicts melancholy and there the musical material seems to have taken its own direction. Carl Nielsen speaks of "a strong outburst... after which the oboe comes with a small melancholy and sighing motif, which gradually develops and reaches a climax of lamentation and pain. " In the closing movement, a self-righteous type is portrayed: "In the Allegro sanguineo, I have tried to portray the basic character of a man, who storms thoughtlessly forward in the belief that the whole world belongs to him". The symphony went down well with both audiences and critics on February 18, 1920.