Nielsen wrote six symphonies, all of which repay attention. The best known are Symphony No. 2, ‘The Four Temperaments’ and Symphony No. 4, ‘The Inextinguishable’. Symphony No. 5, written after the First World War, represents, in its two movements, the composer’s struggle to develop new and stronger rhythms and more advanced harmony. His concertos for clarinet, for flute and for violin have also found a place in standard repertoire, as has the overture taken from the opera Maskarade.
