Herbert Blomstedt conducts Nielsen's Sinfonia espansiva and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7

In Leipzig, Herbert Blomstedt juxtaposes two symphonic works written a century apart: by  Beethoven et Nielsen. Heirs to a 300-year-old tradition, the musicians of the Gewandhausorchester join forces with the Swedish maestro to give a performance con brio, marked by palpable joy.

Beethoven’s Seventh was met with incredible success at its 1813 premiere, beloved in particular for the second movement, an irresistibly rhythmic and dancing Allegretto that the audience immediately demanded in an encore. Nielsen’s Third Symphony, nicknamed “Sinfonia Espansiva” is the most joyful, sunny, and even sensual of the composer’s ten symphonies—a sort of Nordic “Pastoral Symphony”. The work calls for a soprano and a baritone who sing parts without words in the second movement.