Scandinavian Classics - Volume 5
rec. 1933-55
DANACORD DACOCD757-758 [73:43 + 74:16]
With a mix as varied as this an overall recommendation is
hard. Assuming historic performances from Denmark are your thing, then this
has enough good material to justify the very moderate cost. In purely musical
terms there is one significant rarity and a handful of notable performances.
The transfers are perfectly adequate and nowhere does the music disappear
below the noise levels. More often than not the results are good. The extended
note is carefully researched and an interesting read.
The significant rarity is the Sixth Symphony of Asger Hamerik which is first
on CD 1. Hamerik had an unusual career, the most important period of which
was in the United States. From 1871 until 1898 he was Director of the Conservatoire
in Baltimore, Maryland, the Peabody Institute, and raised it to world fame,
attracting praise from, among others, Tchaikovsky and Sir Arthur Sullivan.
He resigned in protest over budget cuts and returned to Denmark for the remainder
of his life. He rapidly sank into almost total obscurity because he was essentially
a conservative figure. At home the major composer was Carl Nielsen and through
the rest of Europe countless masters were active. Despite composing seven
symphonies (see
Dacapo set) and four operas plus vocal and chamber music, he has been
ignored since at least in terms of concert life. Regrettably the music of
the Sinfonie Spirituelle, though attractive, is conventional and
perhaps its neglect is not surprising. The Boyd Neel Orchestra give a well
drilled performance which is worth hearing nonetheless. The rest of CD1 is
taken up with Sibelius, the Fifth Symphony and the Karelia Suite. The former
is a worthy enough performance but the Danish Radio Orchestra sound more at
home in Karelia with Thomas Jensen directing a particularly lively
Intermezzo.
CD 2 starts with J.P.E. Hartmann's Overture to Hakon Jarl
which is tuneful and very appealing. Its neglect is hard to justify. Svendsen's
Polonaise is fun but a touch relentless. The next 30 minutes or so
is devoted to Carl Nielsen, five extracts from his music for Aladdin.
This is charming music, a reminder of his skill at light music and indeed
his willingness to create so much of it on demand, even at the height of his
career. The Tivoli Orchestra could probably play this in their sleep, the
Negro Dance sounds a bit as if they did, though they must have concentrated
a bit more on the Marketplace in Isphahan to negotiate the multiple
tunes played all together, Ives style. The final Nielsen item, the Cockerel's
Dance from Maskarade, is a short but very fine piece well directed
by Thomas Jensen.
The wonderfully named Knudåge Riisager — try that on a non-Danish speaker
— is the first of four light-classical composers, all of whom could
easily have written the quality film music of the 1940s and 1950s at which
Hollywood excelled. They are also the equals of Eric Coates, Robert Farnon
and Ronald Binge from the UK side of the North Sea. All have managed total
obscurity for no very good reason. I have to highlight one piece: the Tango
Jalousie by Jacob Gade (no relation of Niels Gade). Jealousy
turns out to be one of those amazingly famous tunes which everyone recognises.
Apparently it still earns significant income. Finally on CD2 are two pieces
by the Johann Strauss of the North, H.C. Lumbye. His Copenhagen Steam-Railway
Galop is the earliest recording in the set, 1933. It sounds just fine
and the Tivoli Orchestra gives easily the best performance of this marvellous
piece I have heard. It takes only 3:10 to get from station to station, proving
that the railways have slowed significantly in the intervening years. The
Danish Radio orchestra and Rozhdestvensky took 30% longer to do the same journey
in 1993 for Chandos.
The final Champagne Galop is also great fun. Why don't we
hear more Lumbye? He is a wonderful composer of dance music, often the equal
of his Viennese contemporaries.
Dave Billinge
Previous review: John
France
Reviews of other releases in this series
Volume
1
Volume
2
Volume
3
Volume
4
Contents
CD 1 [73:43]
Asger HAMERIK (1843-1923)
Symphony No.6 in G major Symphonie Spirituelle Op.38
(1897) [29:07]
Boyd Neel String Orchestra/Boyd Neel
rec. 1945
Jean SIBELIUS (1865-1957)
Symphony
No. 5 (1914-15) [30:27]
The Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/Erik Tuxen
rec. 1952
Karelia Suite (1893) [14:09]
Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/Thomas Jensen
rec. 1952
CD 2 [74:16]
J. P. E. HARTMANN (1805-1900)
Overture to Hakon Jarl (1844) [9:31]
Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/John Frandsen
rec. 1955
Johan SVENDSEN (1840-1911)
Festival Polonaise (1873) [8:12]
Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/Erik Tuxen
rec. 1953
Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931)
Aladdin (1920):-
Oriental Festival March [3:05]
Aladdin's Dream - Dance of The Morning Mists [2:58]
Hindu Dance [2:36]
The Marketplace in Isphahan [3:38]
Negro Dance [4:07]
Tivoli Symphony Orchestra/Svend Christian Felumb
rec. 1936
Introduction to 7. Picture (The Mother) (1920) [2:45]
Cockerel's Dance (Maskarade)
(1904-6) [3:49]
Tivoli Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Jensen
rec. 1942
Knudåge RIISAGER (1897-1974)
Introduction to Niels Ebbesen (1948)
[4:35]
Royal Orchestra/Johan Hye-Knudsen
rec. 1951
Svend Erik TARP (1908-1994)
Comedy Overture (1942) [5:50]
Tivoli Symphony Orchestra/Svend Christian Felumb
rec. 1948
Emil REESEN (1887-1964)
Himmerland, Danish Rhapsody (1926) [12:12]
Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/Emil Reesen
rec. 1953
Jacob GADE (1879-1963)
Tango Jalousie (1925) [3.22]
Wandy Tworek (violin)
Danish State Broadcasting Orchestra/Emil Reesen
rec. 1946
H. C. LUMBYE (1810-1874)
Copenhagen Railway Steam-galop (1847) [3:10]
Tivoli Symphony Orchestra/Carlo Andersen
rec. 1933
Champagne-Galop (1845) [2:04]
Royal Orchestra/Georg Høeberg
rec. 1946
All MONO
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