With the exception of the Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable") and perhaps the Symphony No. 5, Carl Nielsen's symphonies have been rare finds in American symphonic recording catalogs. Leonard Bernstein programmed them occasionally, and perhaps that was the inspiration for the New York Philharmonic and conductor Alan Gilbert with this intriguing release. The reverse chronological order -- the Symphony No. 3 dates from 1912, ten years after its predecessor -- works well, for the Symphony No. 3 is the weightier work. ...
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With the exception of the Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable") and perhaps the Symphony No. 5, Carl Nielsen's symphonies have been rare finds in American symphonic recording catalogs. Leonard Bernstein programmed them occasionally, and perhaps that was the inspiration for the New York Philharmonic and conductor Alan Gilbert with this intriguing release. The reverse chronological order -- the Symphony No. 3 dates from 1912, ten years after its predecessor -- works well, for the Symphony No. 3 is the weightier work. Nielsen did not see fit to explain the work's "Sinfonia Espansiva" subtitle, but the work certainly is expansive, with a great variety of orchestral tones and an eerie wordless vocal duet that comes in toward the end of the second movement. The New York Philharmonic may have had its problems in recent years, and what was once the flagship American orchestra has recorded rather sparsely. But they sound terrific here. The real highlight is the Symphony No. 2, which neatly merges Nielsen's...
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Add this copy of Carl Nielsen: Symphonies No. 3 "Sinfonia espansiva" & 2 to cart. $24.80, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2012 by Dacapo.
