Denmark's Finest

This double cd set of Nielsen symphonies by the San Fransisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt has long been looked upon as the benchmark recording and is still holding its' own against more recent contenders. The cycle is spread over two double cd sets, the second of which I will consider when it is next in line on the shelf. This first set proceeds chronologically with Symphonies 1 to 3 plus the short overture to the opera Maskarade and the Aladdin Suite. Nielsen holds a curious place in posterity. To classical enthusiasts he is well known and at least some of his symphonies are concert hall regulars and well represented in recording catalogues. Outisde of the classical world however, his name is hardly known at all, that was certainly the case with me when I first embarked on investigating this repertoire. Many of his symphomies are programmatic to a greater or lesser extent. The first could be looked upon as a self portrait, the second had a sub title of the Four Temperaments representing the different aspects of character to be found in all men. The third is subtitled Sinfonia Espansiva and the gorgeous allegro finale is hugely expansive. The second pastoral movement contains sung contributions from soprano Nancy Wait Kromm and tenor Kevin McMillan. The Aladdin Suite is also a crowd pleaser, influenced by the Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov school of what was supposedly oriental in sound and melody but with plenty of interest in both those aspects. Simply because of being Danish, Nielsen is often lumped into a Scndinavian or Nordic category with Sibelius but it should be remembered that Denmark shares a border with Germany also and the Austro-Germanic tradition is carried on in his music as much as it is in that of Richard Strauss for instance.