In the 1970s there
were only two Nielsen symphony cycles.
There was the Ole Schmidt from Unicorn
(1974, ADD and still a force in the
land and to be had from Regis at super-bargain
price) and the first Blomstedt cycle
from EMI. Blomstedt's Danish set of
LPs came in a breeze-block heavy super-box
adorned with a bas-relief profile of
Nielsen. The recordings were was an
ambitious offshoot from Danish Radio's
broadcasts. Blomstedt's orchestra was
the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Not only were there the six symphonies
but also all three concertos and a large
number of interludes and overtures,
some of them recorded for the first
time. That set can now be had across
two
EMI twofers.
Since those distant
days there have been cycles from Schønwandt,
Penny, Bernstein (well, part), Bis (part
Järvi; part Chung), Rozhdestvensky
(Chandos), Thomson, Berglund (RCA) and
historical cycles from Dutton and Danacord.
The second Blomstedt
visit to the Nielsen symphonies occurred
during his stay with the San Francisco
Symphony Orchestra. It has been lauded
to the firmament and deserve praise;
the strings are silken toned and the
playing and recording are generally
of the highest standard. However not
all is invincibly wonderful. Blomstedt
in the First Symphony lacks the plunge
and surge of Schmidt and Previn. He
is good in the Sixth although not as
imaginative and communicative as Ormandy
and Schmidt. Once again this is the
best sounding of the Nielsen 6s - a
pleasure to hear.
The Second has to best
Chung on Bis. Blomstedt is a fine conductor
and Decca have a top flight recording
team for all that I would not prefer
this to Chung. It must be said that
Chung's Nielsen is in a class of its
own - something about all the stars
being in the right conjunction. Such
a pity that he never completed the cycle
and that the Bis Nielsen had to plumped
out with less than competitive recordings
by Neeme Järvi. Blomstedt blazes
with ideas and he has an orchestra second
to none but the final spark is only
intermittently present. He is in the
top quartile of complete boxed sets
and many would place this reading as
supreme.
The Fourth stands out
in this set. It exudes an electric charge
and the playing is beyond ardent. The
character of the various solos stands
out. Nothing is ho-hum anonymous. Pastoral
reflective episodes gurgle and smile
in the antithesis of chrome-plated playing.
The recording quality is complicit with
the excellent aesthetic judgements shown
throughout. Dashing, almost Vivaldian,
violins launch the finale and Blomstedt
is in outstandingly joyous form. The
drums are caught with Decca's usual
flare for impact. The Fifth has similar
strengths in one solo after another.
Everything is projected within a most
realistic soundstage - typical care
and flair from Decca. This version yields
to Chung on Bis, Bernstein on Sony and
Schmidt on Regis.
If you are going for
Blomstedt’s San Francisco Nielsen, rather
than tracking down the reviewed format
(3 CDs in slip case), a better bargain
is the two 2CD sets at mid-price: Decca
460985 and 460988. Into the bargain
you get the Hymnus Amoris, Little
Suite, Maskarade Overture
and Aladdin suite.
Don't write off the
Regis
Schmidt set. It never slips into
cruise control and still sounds staggeringly
good - a great achievement by the two
Bobs - Auger and Simpson.
This is a superior
choice among the crowded field of Nielsen
symphony contenders: polished playing
and plenty of character although the
paramount performances are of 4 and
5. Everything is at least good but better
performances can be had individually
in some cases.
Rob Barnett
San Francisco SO/Herbert Blomstedt 