Symphony No. 4 The Inextinguishable (1914-1916) [35:57]
Symphony No. 1, Op. 7 (1889-1894) [33:18]
New York Philharmonic/Alan Gilbert
rec. live, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York, 12-15 March 2014
DACAPO SACD 6.220624 [69:20]
This is the second volume in Alan Gilbert’s Nielsen cycle, recorded
live in New York. I bought the previous volume in the series, which covered
the Second and Third Symphonies on the back of Dan Morgan’s enthusiastic
download review.
Having been impressed by that release I was keen to hear this second instalment,
and all the more so after sampling it in the MusicWeb
Listening Studio.
I was particularly keen to hear Gilbert in the Fourth Symphony because
this is my favourite among the six. It was written against a troubled
background of both the First World War and turbulence in Nielsen’s
domestic life but, although those things inevitably cast a shadow, what
I find so attractive about this symphony is its unquenchable spirit.
So, though the first movement bursts upon us with white-hot energy it’s
not long before a more lyrical idea appears in the woodwind and this theme
will be of crucial importance, not just in this movement but also in bringing
the symphony home some thirty minutes later.
Right from the start the sound of the orchestra is very powerful. In part
this is the actual, full-on sound that the orchestra makes but I think
it’s accentuated by the recording itself. The sound has enormous
impact and presence. This means that an abundance of detail is reported.
However, it also means that the loud passages come across very strongly
indeed. At first I was very impressed by the power of the climaxes but
as the performance progressed I began to wonder if sometimes it was, perhaps,
a little too much of a good thing. Overall, though, I admired the spirited
performance.
The transition to the second of the four linked movement is well managed
and in this Poco allegretto the New York woodwinds display no
little finesse in the way they play. Their colleagues in the string section
launch the slow movement with tremendous intensity. This intensity is
sustained and, indeed, it increases as a very taut and powerful performance
of the movement unfolds. The main climax is pretty overpowering but highly
impressive. Ushered in by rushing strings the finale erupts. The music
is highly charged and Gilbert and his players don’t short-change
their listeners. The duel of the timpani is very exciting indeed, the
drums spectacularly ‘present’. Though the music may seem hard
driven to some listeners I felt that it just about stays on the right
side and Nielsen‘s magnificent final peroration comes over very
well.
Although I was impressed by this New York performance I couldn’t
escape a nagging doubt at the back of my mind. I looked out Osmo Vänskä’s
2001 recording for BIS with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (review).
Two things struck me; one immediately, one after listening for a little
while. The immediate difference lies in the recorded sound. The BIS recording,
which is on CD not SACD, was made in the City Halls, Glasgow and under
studio conditions, I think. The orchestra is less closely recorded and
while their sound doesn’t have as much impact as that of the NYPO
it still registers extremely well. Crucially, there’s space
around the orchestra and this gives a much more pleasing impression. By
comparison there’s a danger that the New York performance appears
slightly aggressive. That brings me to the second thing that struck me,
something which is much more subjective. I have the sense that Vänskä
is rather more successful than Alan Gilbert in putting across the humanity
of Nielsen. As I say, this is a subjective point and other listeners may
not feel the same. This is not to diminish the achievement of the Gilbert
performance but rather to state the obvious point that there’s more
than one way of looking at a piece.
Jens Cornelius reminds us in his useful booklet note for Dacapo that when
he came to write his First Symphony Nielsen had only a handful of orchestral
works to his credit, all of them small scale. Notwithstanding this, the
First represents an astonishingly auspicious and confident debut as a
symphonist. Cornelius emphasises that Nielsen sought to avoid convention
and I love the way he describes the opening: ‘Instead we meet a
strapping fellow who expresses himself in short phrases and with powerful
breaths.’ I’m sure he’s right to say that the resulting
music reflects a combination of Nielsen’s wish to avoid being fettered
by convention and his lack at that time of a fully-developed technique.
‘Thank goodness’ is all I can say. Instead Nielsen gives the
impression of a confident man who wants to take on the world, though not
in an aggressive fashion. Notwithstanding that, this movement is not all
about unbridled energy; there are also some lovely lyrical passages.
In the second movement we hear the lyrical side of Nielsen come even more
to the fore. This is big-hearted music and Gilbert and the NYPO do it
well. I also enjoyed much of their account of the genial and likeable
Allegro comodo though I do wonder if the louder passages are
perhaps a bit too fierce. The finale is energetic and optimistic and this
New York performance has thrust and brio.
I enjoyed this reading of the First Symphony though once again Vänskä’s
recording, made in 2000, shows the benefits of a somewhat more distanced
and, dare I say, nuanced recording (review).
There’s a good deal to admire in these performances, even if there
are other, perhaps more persuasive ways to play Nielsen. Dacapo’s
superbly defined SACD sound is most impressive though some may find it
a bit full-on. I look forward to hearing Alan Gilbert in the mighty Fifth.
John
Quinn
Previous review: Dan
Morgan
Masterwork Index:
Symphony 1 ~~
Symphony 4
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