Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4

On this CD:

1. Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op 7/FS 16
Composed by Carl Nielsen
Performed by Royal Danish Orchestra
Conducted by Paavo Berglund

2. Symphony No. 4 ("Inextinguishable"), Op 29/FS 76
Composed by Carl Nielsen
Performed by Royal Danish Orchestra
Conducted by Paavo Berglund

Tracks:

Sym No. 1: I. Allegro orgoglioso
Sym No. 1: II. Andante
Sym No. 1: III. Allegro comodo
Sym No. 1: IV. Finale
Sym No. 6: I. Tempo giusto
Sym No. 6: II. Humoreske: Allegretto
Sym No. 6: III. Proposta seria: Adagio
Sym No. 6: IV. Temo con variazioni: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

From Robert Layton's Review in Gramophone.......2006-04-19

I liked Blomstedt's account of the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (Decca CD), and as some readers will recall, he recorded for EMI not only the six symphonies but Nielsen's complete orchestral works (including the three concertos) with Danish Radio forces in the mid-1970s for EMI. The intervening years have found him developing in stature and his Bruckner Fourth and Seventh Symphonies with the Staatskapelle Dresden on Denon show a very real depth and mastery.

Let's start with the First Symphony, for which Nielsen always nurtured a special affection-and rightly so, for its language is natural and unaffected, it has spontaneity of feeling and a Dvorakian warmth and freshness. To my mind this newcomer is the best account of the work to have appeared for some years: indeed, I'm tempted to say, since the 1967 Previn/LSO account on RCA. It is vital, beautifully shaped and generally faithful to both the spirit and the letter of the score. Tempo markings are observed, though Blomstedt is considerably slower than Nielsen's crotchet=120 in the Andante sostenuto section of the scherzo, which is a pity as it relates to the minim=120 of the finale which he does observe. Otherwise he is completeiy on target and even observes a piu vivo marking in the finale (eight bars after fig. E; track 4, 1'37'') which in Jensen's pioneering Decca version is barely perceptible.

Blomstedt achieves a finely blended wind sound and cultured string playing and although the music is not borne on so highly charged a current as with Jensen's, I would prefer to hear this version before any of those listed above. The recording is good, though the Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco has more clarity than warmth. All the same, the sound has plenty of room to expand. There is also a very good relationship between the various sections of the orchestra and a realistic back-to-front perspective.

Blomstedt gives a powerful account of the Sixth Symphony too, with plenty of intensity and an appreciation of its extraordinary vision. It is by far the most problematic and challenging of the cycle. He opts for a much faster tempo than did Jensen in his 1952 Danacord/Conifer recording--I quote Jensen simply because he is said to have had a particularly good feeling for Nielsen's tempo markings, having played under the composer, and his much broader opening proves stronger in atmosphere. There is (as I see it) an undercurrent of foreboding that escapes Blomstedt in these opening pages, as indeed it did in his mid-1970s version. Mind you, there is much more that he succeeds in penetrating the powerful nervous tension later on in the movement, and the depth in the 'Proposta seria'.

Ole Schmidt and the LSO on Unicorn-Kanchana comes as part of a three-CD set of all six symphonies, and is neither as well played nor as well recorded as this Decca newcomer. Yet Schmidt still has something special to say and opens up the world of this strange and visionary symphony with all its disturbing overtones. Yet had I never heard the Jensen or Schmidt performances, I would have few reservations about this newcomer. Blomstedt brings one into closer contact with the music than he did in his Danish performances and conveys much of its power and, in the finale, humour.

Both these new performances are recommended, though you should not miss hearing the Schmidt. Unicorn-Kanchana should reissue it separately, coupled, as it is in the complete set, with his fine account of the Fifth.

Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6; Andante Tranquillo and Scherzo

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Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6; Andante Tranquillo and Scherzo

Manufacturer: Scandinavian Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000092R4J
Release Date: 2006-05-04

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 ("Sinfonia semplice")

Average customer rating:

Leaper's reading is grand, dynamic and highly recommended

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6 ("Sinfonia semplice")

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000013Z0
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Allegro Orgoglioso
Andante
Allegro Comodo
Finale: Allegro Con Fuoco
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Adagio
Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Leaper's reading is grand, dynamic and highly recommended.......1999-04-17

Adrian Leaper's readings of Nielsen's First and Sixth Symphonies are dramatic, exciting, and filled with such conviction that I'd be hard pressed to find an alternative recording. Nielsen's First Symphony, written for his wife, is a tentative symphony; a composer just getting his feet wet in the symphonic pool, but the results are wonderful. The symphony is filled with ideas, intense motifs and a hint to the stunning symphonic masterpieces that would come later. Leaper and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland revel in Nielsen's symphonic beginnings and the result is a joyous but focused reading. The Sixth Symphony is a much more serious - and much more polished work - and Leaper and his orchestra make all the right choices: fast tempos, tight playing, and never just scratching the surface of some intense themes. A wonderful CD, indeed.

Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Flute & Clarinet Concertos; Orchestral Music

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Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1-6 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l
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Tracks:

Symphony No.1, Opus 7a In G Minor: Allegro Orgoglioso
Symphony No.1, Opus 7a In G Minor: Andante
Symphony No.1, Opus 7a In G Minor: Allegro Comodo
Symphony No.1, Opus 7a In G Minor: Finale: Allegro Con Fuoco
Symphony No.2, Opus 16b 'The Four Temperaments': Allegro Collerico
Symphony No.2, Opus 16b 'The Four Temperaments': Allegro Comodo E Flemmatico
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Symphony No.2, Opus 16b 'The Four Temperaments': Allegro Sanquineo

Tracks:

Symphony No.3, Opus 27c 'Sinfonia Espansiva': Allegro Espansivo
Symphony No.3, Opus 27c 'Sinfonia Espansiva': Andante Pastorale
Symphony No.3, Opus 27c 'Sinfonia Espansiva': Allegretto Un Poco
Symphony No.3, Opus 27c 'Sinfonia Espansiva': Finale: Allegro
Symphony No.4, Opus 29a 'The Inextinguishable': Allegro
Symphony No.4, Opus 29a 'The Inextinguishable': Poco Allegretto
Symphony No.4, Opus 29a 'The Inextinguishable': Poco Adagio Quasi Andante
Symphony No.4, Opus 29a 'The Inextinguishable': Allegro

Tracks:

Symphony No.5, Opus 50a: Tempo Giusto/Adagio Non Troppo
Symphony No.5, Opus 50a: Allegro/Presto/Andante Un Poco Tranquillo/Allegro
Symphony No.6b 'Sinfonia Semplice': Tempo Giusto
Symphony No.6b 'Sinfonia Semplice': Humoreske/Allegretto
Symphony No.6b 'Sinfonia Semplice': Proposta Seria/Adagio
Symphony No.6b 'Sinfonia Semplice': Tema Con Variazioni/Allegro

Average customer rating:

Carl Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6; Andante Tranquillo and Scherzo

Manufacturer: Scandinavian Classic
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Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2003-08-05