Christian Sinding - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Thomas Dausgaard)

Information

Composer: Christian Sinding

• (01) Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 21
• (05) Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 83

NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor

Date: 2001
Label: cpo

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Review

Sympathetic advocacy for these two uneven but solidly constructed symphonies

Was I too hard on Christian Sinding’s Second Symphony of 1904 when I first encountered it in August 2000 (‘a dispiriting plod of a work…woefully deficient in melodic freshness…and scored with persistent‚ nigh­on unventilated thickness’)? Well‚ Thomas Dausgaard and his admirably polished Hanover band do their level best to minimise the work’s relative longueurs (phrasing is always shapely and imaginative‚ and Dausgaard’s chosen tempos are more judicious and helpfully flowing than Rasilainen’s)‚ but it’s still emphatically no long­buried masterpiece.

Completed in 1892‚ the First Symphony is more to my liking‚ a soundly constructed affair of no mean craft and substance. Neither outer movement perhaps ideally catches fire‚ but the Andante slow movement boasts some striking inspiration (not least that passage beginning at 5'06"‚ where three solo violins soar above the dusky landscape)‚ and the exuberant Scherzo with its brassily festive trio section is also pretty effective. Interpretative honours are more evenly divided here: Dausgaard secures the better drilled orchestral response‚ though I do prefer the extra‚ out­of­doors tang of Rasilainen’s excellent Norwegian Radio woodwind section. CPO’s sound is rich and glowing to match.

It’s only fair to point out‚ however‚ that even Sinding’s First tends to pale next to the vernal thematic freshness and wonderfully deft orchestral resource of both symphonies by his elder countryman‚ Johan Svendsen (to which Dausgaard himself has recently so eloquently turned his attention – Chandos‚ 11/01). Yes‚ by all means give Sinding a try‚ but do check out Svendsen first; you won’t be disappointed‚ I promise.

-- Gramophone

More reviews:
ClassicsToday  ARTISTIC QUALITY: 8 / SOUND QUALITY: 8
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: **** / SOUND: ****
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Apr02/Sinding.htm
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sinding-Symphonies-Nos-1-2/dp/B00005RTF9

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Christian August Sinding (11 January 1856 – 3 December 1941) was a Norwegian composer. He studied music first in Christiania before going to Germany, where he studied at the conservatory in Leipzig under Salomon Jadassohn. He is known for his lyrical works for piano, such as Frühlingsrauschen (Rustle of Spring, 1896). Among his other works are four symphonies, three violin concertos, a piano concerto, chamber music, songs and choral works to Norwegian texts, and an opera, Der Heilige Berg (The Holy Mountain, 1914). He was often compared to Edvard Grieg and regarded as his successor. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Sinding

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Thomas Dausgaard (born 4 July 1963 in Copenhagen) is a Danish conductor. Dausgaard has been Principal Conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra since 1997, and chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra since 2016. He was also Principal Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2011, and will become music director of the Seattle Symphony in 2019-2020 season. Dausgaard has recorded several recordings of Danish and other Scandinavian music for Chandos and Dacapo labels, including works by Per Nørgård, Rued Langgaard and Franz Berwald.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dausgaard

http://thomasdausgaard.com/

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