If this disc, in the inaugural batch of Mark
Elder's recordings with the Hallé (to be issued through
Sanctuary Classics - i.e. ASV, Black Box), is in anyway typical
then we are in for a real treat. Nielsen is a 20th
century composer of great but understated
genius (see also Martinů and Honegger, maybe Milhaud) and
the selections of his works performed here (very, very impressively)
have been chosen incredibly wisely. Anyone with even a remote
handle on the symphonies of the last century will surely
know the marvellous 4th Inextinguishable but
the 5th is an even more concentrated and typical expression
of Nielsen's late muse and much less performed. Likewise, it would
have been far more predictable to go for either the violin concerto
or the clarinet concerto, both agreed masterpieces, particularly
the latter. The work for flute defies convention by eschewing
the inherent pastoral connotations of the highlighted instrument
in favour of something rather more rigorous. The recording is
concluded by a first recording of the original (and later discarded)
entrance march for Aladdin - like the rest of the disc
it is well worth a listen.
For those who do not know it, the symphony is
a marvellous mix of idyllic orchestral sunrise vistas, snare-drum
induced menace and ironic(?), almost grotesque (semi-Mahlerian?)
folk tunes. As far as Nielsen is concerned, I was raised, musically
speaking, on Herbert Blomstedt's superb recordings of his countryman,
first for EMI with the DNRSO and later for Decca with the San
Francisco Symphony. Both cycles, still widely available, remain
highly recommendable, as does Simon Rattle's one off "Inextinguishable".
This new release is not in any way overshadowed by these comparisons.
The flute concerto draws an expert and often poetic performance
from Andrew Nicholson, without necessarily diminishing my particular
preference for Jennifer Stinton with the SCO and Steuart Bedford
(originally Collins, now reissued, at bargain price, on Regis).
The makeweight Aladdin piece strikes me as rather more
charming and I suppose slight than its more familiar, stomping
replacement.
If you are looking for this coupling of Nielsen
works then this disc is self-recommending and even those who already
have recordings of some, or even all, of the pieces should make
an effort to hear it. If you are tempted and like what you hear
then you could do worse than proceed to the Clarinet Concerto
(try Boeykens on Harmonia Mundi) or even some of the magnificent
piano music (Andsnes on Virgin Classics?). Nielsen is a major
and profound yet accessible voice in twentieth century music who
still deserves a much wider exposure and the recognition that
would surely follow. Many years ago, his tone poem An Imaginary
Journey to the Faeroe Isles stirred something uncommonly deep
in the young heart and mind of this listener and I have in some
ways never recovered. The music on this disc represents a genius
at work and if you do not know it then you, or at least your listening
habits, may never be the same again. Magnificent stuff!
Neil Horner
Andrew Nicholson,
flute