Two familiar names (Nielsen and Sibelius) joined by four much lesser known names end up yielding a wonderful album of Nordic chamber music performed by the Nordic Chamber Orchestra. When thinking of composers from that region, most of the names that immediately come to mind emerge from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But this wonderfully programmed CD shows us that art music has been every bit as active in that part of the world as any other since the time of Bach. The eclectic styles are admirably performed by the ...
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Two familiar names (Nielsen and Sibelius) joined by four much lesser known names end up yielding a wonderful album of Nordic chamber music performed by the Nordic Chamber Orchestra. When thinking of composers from that region, most of the names that immediately come to mind emerge from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But this wonderfully programmed CD shows us that art music has been every bit as active in that part of the world as any other since the time of Bach. The eclectic styles are admirably performed by the NCO, lead by Christian Lindberg. Equally at home with the Baroque overture of Anders Wesström through the more modern Concerto Piccolo of Bo Linde, its well-rounded, robust sound belies the small size of the ensemble. Intonation is generally quite good (save for a few moments in the highest registers of the violins and some problems in the wind section), articulation is uniform through the orchestra, and balance is generally quite good. Overall, BIS' recorded sound is acceptable, but...
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