Search - Karl Magnus Fredriksson, Carl Nielsen, Gennady Rozhdestvensky :: Carl Nielsen: Symphonies

A lush, superb Nielsen cycle!

R. Hutchinson | a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds | 01/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The six symphonies of Danish composer Carl Nielsen are among the finest of the early 20th century, behind only Mahler and Sibelius in the canon. I am happy to be the first to review this excellent cycle from the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky, recorded for Chandos in Stockholm between 1992 and 1994. This 3-disc box was released in 2005.



Taking the acclaimed Decca cycle (Symphonies No. 4-6 and Symphonies No. 1-3) with Herbert Blomstedt leading the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra as my reference, some have made much of Rozhdestvensky's slower tempos. There is not actually much difference. Blomstedt may gain a certain edge in the 4th and 5th with a slightly quicker, more decisive attack. But this is at least counterbalanced by Rozhdestvensky's more effective vocal Andante pastorale in the 3rd, an absolutely lovely movement, and conveys more profound emotion at a slower tempo. The more significant difference between the Decca and Chandos sets, both superb, is the sound. The Decca recordings sound cleaner but thinner, more compressed, while the Chandos recordings are richer but more diffuse, with a deeper bottom end.



There are those who consider Nielsen's 5th Symphony, composed after the Great War, to be the greatest of the 20th century, with its anti-war theme. If pressed, I would probably say his 4th is my favorite, edging out the 5th, but the 2nd and 3rd are not far behind. Like Sibelius, Nielsen remained in the 19th century Romantic world as Modernism developed apace -- Brahms and Dvorak are the obvious influences -- but like his Finnish contemporary, Nielsen developed a strong personal voice.



Either this set or the better-known Decca/Blomstedt set provides a 5-star Nielsen cycle, which should of course be heard by any classical music lover. Rozhdestvensky and the Swedish players bring forth the beauty and emotional riches of the scores, and this Chandos set should not be overlooked!



(verified purchase from ArkivMusic)"

The best set of Nielsen symphonies

Long-time listener | Wichita KS, USA | 03/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While the Nielsen 4th and 5th in Blomstedt's cycle are among the finest, that set as a whole doesn't have the strengths that this one by Rozhdestvensky does. The 5th in Rozhdestvensky's set is fantastic, better I think than the historical Kubelik recording, having a taughter first-movement climax, and equal to the great one by Chung. It is also the equal of Blomstedt's. The 4th is also about as good as they get, though Blomstedt may have a slight edge. But Blomstedt doesn't "get" the 1st symphony, missing what some describe as its sense of "pastoral wonder," while Rozhdestvensky does well with it; add in possibly the best-ever account of the 3rd "Expansiva" symphony, with its wonderful slow movement, and you have a set that seems to include nothing but consistently great performances."