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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
These Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra recordings by Blomstedt appeared at about the same time as the Unicorn recordings under Ole Schmidt, now reissued on Regis Nielsen - Complete Symphonies for a few pounds more. Both sets are really good, the present one having just a little more music on it than the Schmidt and also a little more depth to the sound. This has to be one of the best value symphony sets and is an ideal introduction to the symphonies of this great Danish composer. Oddly, only the Scandiavian countries and the British and Americans seem to have taken to Carl Nielsen: but whereas concerts in Britain are relatively rare they are almost non-existent in places like France and Germany! This is a great shame.
The symphonies were written between 1898 and 1926 with perhaps the most obvious high point being the 4th ("The Inextinguishable") of 1914 and the great 5th of 1922. Whereas the earlier symphonies were depictions of emotional states (see especially the 2nd "The Four Temperaments") these two symphonies are huge dramas where the positive life-force triumphs over negativity.
The final movement of the 4th is hugely exciting with two sets of timpani placed on opposite sides of the sound stage, hammering to and fro and attacking the gathering exultation of the music; and the first movement of the 5th has a remarkable part where the side-drum player (banging out the "evil" and disruptive rhythm) is instructed to interrupt and stop the flow of the music at all costs! Needless to say the resultant battle is eventually won by full orchestra at one of the most thrilling climaxes in 20th Century music.
The "Simple Symphony", number 6, is anything but that and is initially rather off-putting in its wry and witty writing. The opening sets the rather high-pitched tone with strokes on the glockenspiel and by the very end of the symphony the listener has been transported through an ironical attack on empty overblown music and on over-serious academic writing. The very end of the work leaves the last notes to the pair of bassoons, who metaphorically thumb their noses - so to speak - at all negativity.
Nielsen is probably one of the more life asserting composers (another one being Haydn) and he well repays the effort in getting to know his work. This set is an ideal way to learn the music, and at the current price is well worth getting as a pendant to any other recordings you might own if you have alreay discovered this Danish master. Strongly recommended.
The symphonies were written between 1898 and 1926 with perhaps the most obvious high point being the 4th ("The Inextinguishable") of 1914 and the great 5th of 1922. Whereas the earlier symphonies were depictions of emotional states (see especially the 2nd "The Four Temperaments") these two symphonies are huge dramas where the positive life-force triumphs over negativity.
The final movement of the 4th is hugely exciting with two sets of timpani placed on opposite sides of the sound stage, hammering to and fro and attacking the gathering exultation of the music; and the first movement of the 5th has a remarkable part where the side-drum player (banging out the "evil" and disruptive rhythm) is instructed to interrupt and stop the flow of the music at all costs! Needless to say the resultant battle is eventually won by full orchestra at one of the most thrilling climaxes in 20th Century music.
The "Simple Symphony", number 6, is anything but that and is initially rather off-putting in its wry and witty writing. The opening sets the rather high-pitched tone with strokes on the glockenspiel and by the very end of the symphony the listener has been transported through an ironical attack on empty overblown music and on over-serious academic writing. The very end of the work leaves the last notes to the pair of bassoons, who metaphorically thumb their noses - so to speak - at all negativity.
Nielsen is probably one of the more life asserting composers (another one being Haydn) and he well repays the effort in getting to know his work. This set is an ideal way to learn the music, and at the current price is well worth getting as a pendant to any other recordings you might own if you have alreay discovered this Danish master. Strongly recommended.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This set is a real bargain, and self-recommending. The performances make for an interesting contrast with Blomstedt's later Nielsen cycle with the San Francisco orchestra. Those are slicker, but somehow less idiomatic. The stand-out performance here, as noted elsewhere, is the vibrant, life-affirming 4th, which is quite magnificent. The remaining symphonies are never less than satisfying, although the 5th is a tad disjoint at time.
But, the sound... I still have the 35-year old vinyl, which I could never enjoy fully because of iffy surfaces. This CD set sounds spookily similar, testifying to an excellent transfer to the digital domain. It sounds simply superb, a very natural, well balanced orchestral sound with palpable hall presence, hair-raising dynamic range and boot-down-the-back-wall stage depth. It's now revealed to be the best sounding Nielsen symphonic set, bar none. Blomstedt's later Decca Digital cycle sounds just awful by comparison. Well, such is progress...
Buy it, you won't be sorry.
But, the sound... I still have the 35-year old vinyl, which I could never enjoy fully because of iffy surfaces. This CD set sounds spookily similar, testifying to an excellent transfer to the digital domain. It sounds simply superb, a very natural, well balanced orchestral sound with palpable hall presence, hair-raising dynamic range and boot-down-the-back-wall stage depth. It's now revealed to be the best sounding Nielsen symphonic set, bar none. Blomstedt's later Decca Digital cycle sounds just awful by comparison. Well, such is progress...
Buy it, you won't be sorry.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Having now completed my listening experience of this whole symphonic cycle by Neilsen, I am absolutely pleased with all the performances here on this bargin box set from EMI. These stereo sound recordings were made between 1973 and 1975,sound as good if not better than many a digital recording these days, which is important given the dynamic ranges these symphonies require. The beauty of a set like this, is that you can follow the symphonic developments of Neilsen from his late-Romantic symphonies like 1-3 and onto the later modernist neo-Classical symphonies 4-6, but even so there are still some moments of Dvorakian sunshine, particulary in the first movement of Symphony no 6. The last 3 symphonies also show an increasing use of percussion to add power to the musical arguements to produce music that is both thought provoking and exciting. The symphonies were writtten between 1898 and 1926 with the First World War having an impact on the change of musical direction starting with Symphony 4. There are also 2 short orchestral pieces of which the Bohemiam-Danish Folk Tunes, still shows some Romantic tendancies, even though it was written in 1928. This orchestra and conductor offer great perfomances of all the works here and get close to the heart of the music. In the past on the EMI Forte label there was a double set containing the concertos and other smaller works like Helios and An Imaginary Trip to the Faroe Isles by the same forces, these recordings made around the mid seventies are also worth buying, as the performances are just as good. Thank you again to Amazon and your amazing musical directory, in stocking such worthwhile composer sets like this one and again for offerng a very effective delivery service.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Danes playing a Dane
I discovered this music rather recently. Actually I got caught by the timpani duel in the fourth symphony... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Per Arne Rudberg
Excellent Value for Money
This set of Nielsen symphonies offers an excellent value for money. Symhony No.4, arguably the most popular symphony of the Danish composer, receives an outstanding performance. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ali Tigrel
STATE OF DENMARK
When choosing recordings of Nielsen for my own collection I tend to home in on Danish offerings, and if I do that on my own account I suppose I should give similar advice to other... Read more
Published 16 months ago by DAVID BRYSON
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