Posted September 16, 2025
Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, “The Inextinguishable”
Carl Nielsen (1865–1931)
COMPOSED: 1915–1916
PREMIERE: January 1, 1916; Copenhagen, Denmark
LAST DPO PERFORMANCE: December 1999; Sam Wong, conductor
APPROXIMATE DURATION: 36 minutes
From Carl Nielsen, Composer:
“Music is life, and, like life, inextinguishable.”
From Jonathan Lee, Principal Cello:
“With a name like ‘The Inextinguishable,’ Nielsen sets the expectation that this piece will be EPIC. True to the spirit of its name, the Symphony comes out of the gate swinging and doesn’t really feel like a beginning. The first time I heard it, I thought, ‘Did I skip over the opening section?’ It feels like the needle was dropped and all of a sudden, we’re in the middle of something that began before I was there and will continue long after I’m gone. As I get to know more about this piece, that sentiment feels intentional.
“A work like this, dedicated to the resilience of life and the human spirit, demands a fight. It’s not fair to say that some pieces we perform don’t require total commitment from every musician, but this one requires every musician on stage to be ‘on.’ This piece is like riding the knife’s edge: it’s a desperate cry for life and it demands full commitment.
“This piece is four movements but reads as a continuous flow. The tone is lush and full and has movements of virtuosity and spaciousness that seem to pull from the vast possibility of human emotion and experience. I think it’s a great piece to sit down and allow yourself to be taken up in the musical river and see where it takes you. It is, after all, a work about you.”