Taped more than half a century ago, and a decade before the modest revival of interest in the composer in the later '60s, these performances of two of Carl Nielsen's symphonies by the Danish Radio Symphony are fired by the fervor of true believers. The Third Symphony, under conductor John Frandsen, with soprano Ruth Güldbæk and tenor Erik Sjoberg, was recorded in the studio for Philips over three days in March 1955, and it is electrifying. Frandsen's tempos are perfect; the opening Allegro has plenty of power but doesn't ...
Read More
Taped more than half a century ago, and a decade before the modest revival of interest in the composer in the later '60s, these performances of two of Carl Nielsen's symphonies by the Danish Radio Symphony are fired by the fervor of true believers. The Third Symphony, under conductor John Frandsen, with soprano Ruth Güldbæk and tenor Erik Sjoberg, was recorded in the studio for Philips over three days in March 1955, and it is electrifying. Frandsen's tempos are perfect; the opening Allegro has plenty of power but doesn't rush, the central Andante balances between contemplation and drama, and both the Scherzo and the Finale have more drive and conviction than almost any subsequent recorded performance. More importantly, Frandsen and the Danish players have the advantage of believing fully in Nielsen's music, and their playing has a marvelous sense of inevitability. Even better is Erik Tuxen's performance of the Fifth Symphony from the 1950 Edinburgh Festival. Here, the composer's ardent advocates are...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.