Carl Nielsen - Symphonies Nos. 4-6; Little Suite; Hymnis Amoris (Herbert Blomstedt; Ulf Schirmer)

Information

Composer: Carl Nielsen

CD1:

• (01) Symphony No. 4, Op. 29 - "The Inextinguishable"
• (05) Symphony No. 5, Op. 50

CD2:

• (01) Symphony No. 6 - "Sinfonia Semplice"
• (05) Little Suite, Op. 1
• (08) Hymnis Amoris, Op. 12

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Herbert Blomstedt, conductor

Hymnis Amoris:
Barbara Bonney, soprano
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Lars Pederson, tenor
Michael W. Hanson, baritone
Bo Anker Hansen, bass
Copenhagen Boys' Choir
Danish National Radio Choir
Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ulf Schirmer, conductor

Date: 1988/1999
Label: Decca
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4609882

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

This is the second of two Double Decca “twofers” that contain Herbert Blomstedt’s celebrated second complete cycle of the six Carl Nielsen symphonies. The first disc features Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5, while Symphony No. 6, Little Suite for Strings, and a terrific 20-minute choral work titled Hymnus Amoris occupy disc two. The latter two works were borrowed from a separate Decca CD, never released domestically, that also contained a truly second-rate Fourth Symphony conducted by Ulf Schirmer. It was smart of Decca to include the two most successful performances from that release with the symphonies, making this reissue set by far the best value in a complete Nielsen symphony cycle–despite the fact that you can find slightly better performances of Symphonies 4 and 5. Specifically, both Sir Alexander Gibson (Chandos) and Paavo Berglund (RCA) drive home the final section of the Fourth Symphony with far greater momentum than does Blomstedt, and in the Fifth Symphony, both Leonard Bernstein (Sony) and Rafael Kubelik (EMI) allow their snaredrummers to “duke it out” against the orchestra with more vehemence during the famous first movement ad libitum cadenza. However, these are small shortcomings, especially when you throw in Decca’s generally stellar sonics, and the extra music. There’s also some glorious singing in the Hymnus Amoris–particularly from Barbara Bonney and John Mark Ainsley. All things considered, this is the way to go.

-- ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Sept04/Nielsen_Blomstedt.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Nielsen-Symphonies-Blomstedt-Francisco-Orchestra/dp/B00001X5A0

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Carl Nielsen (9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish musician, conductor and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Although his symphonies, concertos and choral music are now internationally acclaimed, Nielsen's career and personal life were marked by many difficulties, often reflected in his music. Nielsen maintained the reputation of an outsider during his lifetime, both in his own country and internationally. It was only later that his works firmly entered the international repertoire, accelerating in popularity from the 1960s through Leonard Bernstein and others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Nielsen

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Herbert Blomstedt (born July 11, 1927) is a Swedish conductor. Blomstedt is most noted for his performances of German and Austrian composers, and also as a champion of Scandinavian composers. He has been Music Director or Principal Conductor of the Norrköping Symphony (1954–1962), Oslo Philharmonic (1962–1968), Danish Radio Symphony (1967–1977), Swedish Radio Symphony (1977–1982), Dresden Staatskapelle (1975-1985), San Francisco Symphony (1985-1995), and Leipzig Gewandhausorchester (1998–2005), making many well-regarded and awarded recordings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Blomstedt

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