Carl Nielsen, Orchestral Music
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Carl NielsenConductor: Thomas Dausgaard
Orchestra: Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
Format: Hybrid SACD
CD Release Date: 2007-02-27
Music Label: Da Capo [Naxos]
Free Music Notes for Carl Nielsen, Orchestral Music
Free Music Review: Nielsen uncovered
Hit: 4 Stars
Most classical listeners know Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) -- if they know him at all -- through one or more of his six numbered symphonies, many of which have names like "The Four Temperaments" and "The Inextinguishable". Classical music commentators have often joked about that latter symphony, which is sometimes called Nielsen's greatest, and mockingly termed it the "indistinguishable" since it so sounds like the work of a dozen or so other composers of the same era.
While the music included here is not often portrayed on Nielsen recordings, most of it has been recorded before, often by bigger name conductors and bands than Thomas Dausgaard and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Notable recordings from the present and past of material presented here includes Neemi Jarvi's three DG recordings; those from Herbert Blomstedt, whose reserved style of presentation on a pair of EMI disks supplemented his two sets of complete Nielsen symphonies; and, perhaps best, by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, whose Chandos recording included the big four orchestral works -- Helios overture, Saga-Dream, Pan and Syrinx, and Fantasy Journey to the Faeroe Islands as well as selections from the theater music for Alladin, which isn't represented here.
Getting back to the indistinguishable comment, that claim iis especially relevant here for me. While listening to these selections, I was regularly reminded of both the lesser orchestral music of Gustav Holst and the tone poems of Antonin Dvorak. I think the reason for this is the contrapuntal sytle of Nielsen merged with his insistence on sonata form, elements that brought both other composers to the forefront of classical music. In addition, Dausgaard's advocacy is highly imaginative and committted, consistent with the better recordings of lesser known Holst, especially those recorded on the Lyrita label.
For these and other reasons, I don't agree with the worldwide acclaim this recording received. It's certainly an entertainig 72 minutes of music most listeners aren't familiar with and it exposes a side of a composer that sits outside the radar for most listeners. But I'd also say that much of this music tends to sound alike and the level of variation in its creation, while above average, doesn't render this issue record of the year quality, which many claimed it was by putting it on their 2007 recordings of the year lists. For me, the only completely new discovery here was teh 13-minute Snefrid Suite for Orchestra, a four-part examination on a theme.
In addition, the stereo sound (I haven't heard the super audio layer) is OK but no great shakes and no one will confuse this orchestra for one of the world's greatest. So, for me, at last hearing this recording did not live up to the hype others have heaped on it. But I didn't expect it to achieve those heights, either, so I'm not disappointed. Considering you can acquire this new for $10 or less in hybrid super audio sound, it's a good buy if you're looking for something off the beaten path but still within the traditional late romantic European framework.
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