Composed against the backdrop of World War I, this symphony is among the most dramatic that Nielsen wrote, featuring a "battle" between two sets of timpani.
[4] The symphony's four movements are played without breaks – attacca subito (literally "join quickly; suddenly").
That function is fulfilled by the third movement, which opens with a cantilena from unison violins, then builds to a climax before concluding with a single oboe playing over trills in the upper strings.
In the revised version of his analysis, Robert Simpson devotes nearly a page to "features that can lead the exhibitionist conductor astray", mostly relating to matters of tempo.
Notable recordings include:[citation needed] On the basis of information from the Carl Nielsen Society, Symphony No.