Okko Kamu leads a refreshingly vibrant account of Nielsen’s Symphony No. 1. The first movement surges with youthful vigor, aided by Kamu’s light touch–crisp orchestral articulation and clear ensemble textures. The Andante second movement plays with a rare sense of direction–Kamu has a clear idea how this music should go, and the Copenhagen Philharmonic plays beautifully, especially in the strings in the rhapsodic central section. The scherzo moves along breezily, with nicely burnished brass in the trio. Nielsen’s Finale, with its seemingly endless main theme, is a bit of a tough nut that seems to elude many conductors. Not so Kamu: his clear focus and bold impetus carry the music unerringly through to its imposing conclusion. A fine Nielsen First.
Kamu is better known for his Sibelius, and this Symphony No. 7 lives up to the conductor’s reputation. Again the performance abounds with energy and freshness. Free from the heaviness imposed by some interpreters, the introduction carries a heightened air of expectancy. Kamu’s reading points up the work’s relation to the preceding Sixth symphony and, in the later dramatic sections (here done with impressive power), the composer’s great tone poem Tapiola still to come. As before the orchestra plays handsomely throughout, and is captured in excellent sound. This disc might at first appear to be an odd coupling–turns out it’s a winner.
