John Frandsen (conductor)
The Danish Star Conductor - Selected early recordings
Eileen Joyce (piano)
The Royal Danish Orchestra
The State Broadcast Orchestra (Hartmann, Gade, Høffding)
rec. 1951-58
DANACORD DACOCD940 [79 + 75]
John Frandsen (1918-1996) may not be, as Danacord says, a household name to non-Danes but to inquisitive music lovers he certainly is a name and a much admired one at that. He was the principal conductor of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen for decades and was well-known for his operatic productions but his recorded legacy – at least his commercial legacy – is small for a conductor of his standing. Yes, there is Nielsen – the Clarinet Concerto with Cahuzac is a very famous recording but so too is his Philips recording of the Third Symphony – and there is his Langgaard Fourth Symphony. But the symphonic and orchestral side of things is otherwise exiguous, which makes this twofer the more valuable as it restores, in brand new remasterings, 1950s recordings made for Columbia, Odeon and Philips.
There is a souvenir of his operatic life via the overture to The Marriage of Figaro, recorded in a very generous acoustic. The Brahms symphony dates from June 1958 and I know it was once reissued on a label called Rondo Rarities. Rondo put out pseudonymous records and the Frandsen was released as being by ‘Alfred van Weth and the Berlin Symphony’. If you picked up this curio hoping for pleasant listening, you’d have found a Saga LP played with generous romantic weight and warmth at sensible tempos and without any distracting mannerisms. True, there are some horn fluffs but they’re not of much account and perhaps reflect the quick-turnover nature of the recording. Maybe you’d want a more cataclysmic finale but otherwise you’d be exceptionally pleased with your van Weth. The first CD ends with Eileen Joyce’s recording of the Grieg. I don’t know about the Brahms, but the Grieg was issued in mono and stereo editions; this transfer is from the stereo, and it makes quite an impression, Joyce and Frandsen forming a sympatico team and the pianist fusing lyricism (especially) and bravura to fine effect. Some piano detail gets submerged but not much and the Royal Danish is on excellent form with Frandsen drawing out orchestral counter-themes that resonate strongly and to structurally important effect.
Schubert’s Fifth Symphony is making its first appearance from Columbia matrices, as it’s never been issued before. Recorded in 1951 it sounds fine, and once again Frandsen directs with a buoyant, youthful, Classical poise. Winds are forward, and the balance very pleasing. The sequence of Nordic overtures, tone poems and character pieces that follow attest to Frandsen’s mastery of the genre. J.P.E. Hartmann’s Hakon Jarl is a classic piece for Danish conductors and Frandsen brings flair and romance-lyricism in spades. No less fine is a truly atmospheric recording of Gade’s Echoes of Ossian from a 1955 Philips LP with a vividly expressive central panel. The postlude is about as fine and as moving as I’ve ever heard. Frandsen was something of a promoter of the art of Finn Høffding and draws from his 1939 ‘symphonic fantasy’ Evolution, rich sonorities, dynamics and excellent logical development over its 16-minute length. There are two sides of Sven Erik Tarp to be encountered, a complementary coupling of his neo-classical, light-as-thistledown Overture for my marionette theatre and the Gershwin-influenced Spiritual The Battle of Jericho. Admirers of Riisager will know to expect a typically raucous Targot Dance.
Claus Byrith has had a free hand in the State Media Archive, in Aarhus, where he has located unissued ‘father’ matrices, though it seems that he had an alternative source for the previously unissued Schubert. He has done a splendid job, and the transfers are full, rich and most attractive, as is the booklet.
Danacord has issued fulsome multi-volume releases devoted to Jensen and Grøndahl so let’s hope that Frandsen’s broadcast symphonic repertoire lies buried in the archives of Danish Radio and can be revived. One more piece of good news: this is a twofer priced ‘as for one’.
Jonathan Woolf
Contents
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
The Marriage of Figaro: overture, K492 (1786)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op.98 (1884)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.16 (1868)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Symphony No.5 in B flat major, D485 (1816)
J.P.E. Hartmann (1805-1900)
Hakon Jarl; overture, Op.40 (1844)
Niels Gade (1817-1890)
Echoes of Ossian, concert overture, Op.1 (1840)
Finn Høffding (1899-1997)
Evolution, symphonic fantasy, Op.31 (1939)
Sven Erik Tarp (1908-1994)
Mit Dukketeater: overture (1949)
The Battle of Jericho, Op.51 (1949)
Knudåge Riisager (1897-1974)
Torgutisk Dans (Torgot Dance) (1939)
Published: October 21, 2022
