Carl NIELSEN (1865-1931)
Symphony No. 3, Op. 27 ‘Sinfonia espansiva’ (1910-1911) [36:43]
Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, ‘The Inextinguishable’ (1914-1916) [34:07]
Estelí Gomez (soprano), John Taylor Ward (baritone)
Seattle Symphony/Thomas Dausgaard
rec. live, 8, 9 & 10 June 2017 (3) and 12 & 14 November 2015 (4),
Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium, Benaroya Hall, Seattle
Reviewed as a 24/96 download from
eClassical
Pdf booklet included
SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA SSM1017 [70:50]
Nielsen’s 150th birthday celebrations spawned three complete symphony
cycles, from Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic (Dacapo), John
Storgårds and the BBC Phil (Chandos)
and the Royal Stockholm PO under Sakari Oramo (BIS). I wrote off the first
in the latter’s series, which couples Nos. 4 and 5, only to find the
follow-ups were simply magnificent. And while Gilbert’s readings are not
without merit, it was much harder to be positive about Storgårds’. All three
face competition from stalwarts Ole Schmidt (Regis
/Musical Concepts), Jukka Pekka Saraste (Warner, Finlandia), Michael
Schønwandt (Dacapo/Naxos) and Herbert Blomstedt (EMI-Warner, Decca).
I’ve reviewed a number of Seattle Symphony releases, the earlier ones with
Gerard Schwarz on Naxos, and, most recently, those with Ludovic Morlot (on
the orchestra’s own label). These SSM performances have ranged from
run-of-the-mill
Saint-Saēns
and variable
Stravinsky
to catalogue-topping
Ives.
And while Morlot’s eclectic programmes are certainly challenging – he
rejoices in the soubriquet ‘Sir Mixalot’ – they don’t always work. It must
have been fun to start with, but I did wonder when the novelty would wear
off. As it happens, Morlot is stepping down as music director at the end of
the 2018/19 season, and will be replaced by Thomas Dausgaard. The
MD-in-waiting has already recorded a Deryck Cooke Mahler 10th with these
players, an account much praised by
Ralph Moore.
Dausgaard hasn’t given us much Nielsen, but his collection of orchestral
excerpts (Dacapo 6.220518) and his
C Major
video of Espansiva – both with the Danish National Symphony
Orchestra – have been well received. We never reviewed the first of these
two releases, which I have on SACD and as a 24/96 download from
eClassical
(no booklet). Revisiting that album in preparation for this review, I soon
realised why I hadn’t listened to it in years; the playing is robust and
the recording is excellent, but the performances don’t engage me at all.
That doesn’t detract from Dausgaard’s ongoing commitment to the
music of his homeland; the DNSO set of Rued Langgaard symphonies is
invaluable (Dacapo).
Initial impressions of this Seattle Third are quite favourable. As I
noticed in those excerpts, Dausgaard doesn’t dawdle, although, in fairness,
he doesn’t overdrive the music either. His approach is Vesalian, the flesh
flayed to reveal the muscle and bone beneath. Indeed, the combination of a
no-nonsense reading and a very immediate recording reinforces that
impression. And therein lies the rub: I have no problem with urgency and
tautness, but I feel Dausgaard loses some of the work’s humanity in the
process. That said, his singers are fine and I really like his balances,
the lower strings particularly audible. Indeed, there’s something of the
distinctive ‘terracing’ that makes Schmidt’s readings so tactile.
One need only turn to Oramo’s
Third,
coupled with a First of striking shape and temperament, to realise just
how much Dausgaard misses here. There’s vigour, certainly, but there’s also
insight, engagement, and, in the ‘meadow-haunting vocalise’, real
loveliness. As I elaborated in my review: ‘Even the hint of a gathering
storm à la Beethoven or Berlioz can’t dispel the music’s mood of
contentment.’ In this instance at least, Dausgaard simply doesn’t convey
that depth or contrast of feeling. Moreover, SSM’s engineering, although
good, isn’t in the same class as BIS’s. Given such a raft of riches, it’s
no wonder I made the latter release a Recording of the Month. It’s now my
go-to version of both symphonies.
What of the Seattle Fourth? A troubled and troubling work – epitomised by
those duelling timps – it’s been well served on disc. In light of
Dausgaard’s forensic way with the Third, one might expect something rather
special here. Alas, I just don’t sense the architecture of the piece – its
span rather than its individual joists – and while that makes for moments
of excitement I’m not convinced by the reading as a whole.
Schønwandt
and Saraste are much more consistent and compelling, with all the conflict
and drama the music demands. Their orchestras – the DNSO and the Finnish
Radio SO respectively - play with great passion, and both albums are well
recorded.
Muscular performances that fall short of the best; ditto the sound.
Dan Morgan
