RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931)
Symphony No. 2 The Four Temperaments (1901-02) [35:08]
Symphony No. 3 Sinfonia Espansiva (1910-11) [37:15]
Erin Morley (soprano), Joshua Hopkins (baritone)
New York Philharmonic/Alan Gilbert
rec. live, Avery Fisher Hall, NY, 27-29 January and 1 February 2011 (2); 14-16
June 2012 (3).
DACAPO 6.220623 SACD [72:23]
This recording has already been reviewed fulsomely on these pages by Jack
Lawson, and Oleg Ledeniov made it one of his 2012 Recordings of the Year.
Had I been a bit quicker off the mark with this review I might have done the
same, as I concur with all of the praise given to these performances from
numerous quarters.
Nielsen’s symphonies have been a staple of my orchestral listening since
the late great Robert Simpson broadcast a revelatory series on BBC Radio 3
way back in the 1980s. There were relatively few recordings around then, but
a few cycles have remained favourites for one reason or another. Without boring
everyone beyond belief, I can suggest your trying Ole Schmidt’s complete
set on Regis (see review),
formerly on Unicorn, the Fifth Symphony from which never fails to bring
tears to my eyes. Then there is the superbly recorded and reliably stylish
Herbert Blomstedt (see review)
which has been high on the list for many years. Whatever your Nielsen history,
you will have your own opinions, but this recording from Alan Gilbert with
the New Your Philharmonic seems to press some universal button of wild acclaim
which sweeps the bulk of the competition into a cocked hat.
The pacing of each movement is done superbly well in these performances. Gilbert
doesn’t go for thrill-seeking speed, and tumult and drama are held in
check as often as they are gloriously unleashed. Crucial moments such as the
vocal contributions in the Andante pastorale of the Symphony No.
3 are done very well indeed, and these passages of sheer beauty are all
the more affecting for that ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ sense
of power delivered by previous Allegro espansivo, to provide just one
example. Righteous praise has been heaped on the brass in these performances,
but equal acclaim is deserved for the strings, who have both weight and passion
in the sound as well as all of the sheen and refinement you could wish. In
the end, it is Nielsen’s inspiring themes which win, for while it is
the orchestra which is such an admirable vehicle, it is marvellously heroic
material such as the third symphony’s Finale and the openings
of both works which make you want to stand up and fly through the room for
the sheer joy of it all.
You can’t have the light without the dark, and Nielsen’s more
sombre moods, such as the Andante malincolico third movement of the
Symphony No. 2 plumb depths of which some recordings can only dream.
Gilbert draws the tempo out here a little more than most, to the point you
feel he might have gone too far when the wind solos start. As the music unfolds
its strength takes hold overwhelmingly, and you can’t imagine wanting
to hear it any other way by the end.
With cracking SACD sound, a live ‘vibe’ to the performances, the
superb Avery Fisher Hall acoustic and a band of some of the best players in
the world at the very top of their game this is a disc to have and to hold
from this day forth etc. If you have yet to experience Nielsen’s symphonies
then this a terrific place to start a relationship which will last and enrich
for a lifetime.
Dominy Clements
With this CD I thee wed.
see also review by Jack
Lawson (October 2012 Recording of the Month)
Masterwork Index: Nielsen Symphony
2 ~~ Symphony 3
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