Nielsen recommendations?
Will
Due to my luck in the used stores lately, I have become
a Nielsen fanatic. I'm looking to add to my collection which
right now includes:
Symphonies 1-6, 2-3, 4-5/ Leaper on Naxos
Symphony 2 & Addladin Sutie/Myung-Whun Chung on BIS
Symphonies 4 & 5/ Saraste on Finlandia
Misc. Orchestral works (EMI double)/Blomstedt
String Quartets on Naxos
Wind Quintet on Naxos
I know I should get the Blomstedt on Decca and look for the
EMI's used, but are there any sleepers? For right now, is the
Blomstedt EMI double sufficient for the concertos? Also, looking
for recommendation for other music, like piano music, violin sonatas,
choral and opera . I've heard bad things about the Naxos piano
issues ( it was in Gramophone, so I'm skeptical) and have found only
one version of the violin sonatas 1/2 on Chandos. Any and all
help/opinions/rants appreciated.
Will
John Carter
CD.DGG are probably saving them for DVD but they are worth remembering if
they ever turn up.The Bernstein recordings and the two by Ormandy ought to
be in every collection as well..I bought the Naxos and it isn't bad at all,
maybe not the last word but Nielsen is not a composer one thinks of first in
relation to the piano so you have to get used to it..No reservations at all
about the first volume of the quartets on Naxos, a great disc. Blomstedt
seems to be about it for the concertos if you don't buy the Sony box set
which is still the set I return to most. Interesting that you bought the
Leaper which is under rated and maybe the equal of the later Blomstedt.
Somehow each version of Blomstedts Nielsen and Sibelius seems worse than his
first sets.I don't know if it is the orchestras or what or if he has done
them so often he has lost interest.
John Carter Barsoom.
Will <vaughan...@osu.edu> wrote in message
news:37b18751....@nntp.service.ohio-state.edu...
Jeremy Dimmick
the others, which strike me as tending toward the bland); I haven't heard
his earlier set. For the symphonies I still have a lot of respect for the
LSO / Ole Schmidt recording, rough as it sometimes is - the Sixth and the
outer movements of the Second in particular point up all that's missing in
suave San Francisco.
Primarily for the orchestral playing, I'm very fond of the recording of the
Violin Concerto by Kim Sjøgren, the Danish National Radio SO and Michael
Schønwandt on Chandos, coupled with good if not outstanding Flute and
Clarinet concerti.
How's the Naxos account of the Wind Quintet? I've heard two recordings,
both of which strike me as pretty unsatisfactory - the Bergen on BIS's
complete set of the wind chamber music, and the Athena Ensemble (can't
remember the label, possibly Hyperion). I'm also on the look out for a
Serenata in Vano that isn't played too fast (as with the shallow and
unsympathetic performance on the BIS disk). Any suggestions>
John Carter <jrca...@marcopolo26.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7os6ea$5nk$1...@news4.svr.pol.co.uk...
Will
<jrca...@marcopolo26.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>I don't think the Markevitch Fourth and violin concerto ever made it to
>CD.DGG are probably saving them for DVD but they are worth remembering if
>they ever turn up.The Bernstein recordings and the two by Ormandy ought to
>be in every collection as well..
I was sort of waiting on Sony to put out the Nielsens symphony in the
Bernstein Century series - if they are going to - anyone know for
sure?
>I bought the Naxos and it isn't bad at all,
>maybe not the last word but Nielsen is not a composer one thinks of first in
>relation to the piano so you have to get used to it..No reservations at all
>about the first volume of the quartets on Naxos, a great disc.
Maybe I'll try the Vol. I - there's a Vol.II just out too. And yes,
the Quartets are great on Naxos.
>Blomstedt seems to be about it for the concertos if you don't buy the Sony box set
>which is still the set I return to most. Interesting that you bought the
>Leaper which is under rated and maybe the equal of the later Blomstedt.
>Somehow each version of Blomstedts Nielsen and Sibelius seems worse than his
>first sets.I don't know if it is the orchestras or what or if he has done
>them so often he has lost interest.
I wish I could say I picked the Leaper because of my trained ear,
endless research and weighing my options, but they were $3 each
at a used CD store - that's what got me going. Again, Gramophone
raves about the later Blomstedts, but I'm slowly learning that they
really are off the mark sometimes.
I've been crusing Berkshire's on-line catalogue - any comments
about Horenstein's coupling of the 3rd and 6th symphonies?
Will
Will
<jnd...@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
>I think Blomstedt's San Francisco Third is superb (I have reservations about
>the others, which strike me as tending toward the bland); I haven't heard
>his earlier set. For the symphonies I still have a lot of respect for the
>LSO / Ole Schmidt recording, rough as it sometimes is - the Sixth and the
>outer movements of the Second in particular point up all that's missing in
>suave San Francisco.
I haven't seen the Schmidt recordings - I'll keep a look out for them.
*concerto recs. snipped*
>How's the Naxos account of the Wind Quintet? I've heard two recordings,
>both of which strike me as pretty unsatisfactory - the Bergen on BIS's
>complete set of the wind chamber music, and the Athena Ensemble (can't
>remember the label, possibly Hyperion). I'm also on the look out for a
>Serenata in Vano that isn't played too fast (as with the shallow and
>unsympathetic performance on the BIS disk). Any suggestions>
I really like the whole Naxos disc with the Nielsen/Fernstrom/Kvandal
wind quintets (Scandinavian wind quintets). Then again, I don't have
the discriminant ear that some of the other posters here have. They
all sound very interesting to me, so much so I played the CD 3 times
through when I brought it home. As far as I can tell, its recorded
very well too. Actually, when I get the Nielsen bug out of my system,
I'm planning on looking for more from Fernstrom and Kvandal.
Will
David Grayshan
conducted by Tuxen and 2/Jensen &4/Grondahl), these are stunning
performances, alas in mono only, and on Danacord (all 6 done severally by
Tuxen, Jensen & Grondahl), same restrictions.
These 1940's - 1950's performances have a special muscularity and intense
orchestral sonorities, accompanied by perfect balancing and understanding
of Nielsen's tempi and the relationships between these tempi, qualities
that have never been equalled in any subsequent recordings. You soon
forget the mono sound as you are carried away by the performances and
confront Nielsen as he himself conducted his own music (I believe that two
of the three conductors actually played under Nielsen's baton; Jensen was
said to be especially accurate in reconstructing Nielsen's own
performances).
If you can find these discs - all mid-price - you will never regret
acquiring them.
Regards,
David.
Will wrote:
(Snipped)
Adam Dubin
>On Wed, 11 Aug 1999 17:40:50 +0100, "Jeremy Dimmick"
><jnd...@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
>
>>I think Blomstedt's San Francisco Third is superb (I have reservations about
>>the others, which strike me as tending toward the bland); I haven't heard
>>his earlier set. For the symphonies I still have a lot of respect for the
>>LSO / Ole Schmidt recording, rough as it sometimes is - the Sixth and the
>>outer movements of the Second in particular point up all that's missing in
>>suave San Francisco.
>
>I haven't seen the Schmidt recordings - I'll keep a look out for them.
Better try the used CD shops, as these have been out of circulation
for awhile (i.e. deleted by Unicorn-Kanchana, not a label that is very
active lately, is it?). Unless it ever shows up at Berkshire Record
Outlet.
About the piano music, definitely try Leif Ove-Andsnes's single disc
on Virgin Classics, which includes the greatest of the piano works.
It's really wonderful stuff.
For the concertos, I've been very satisfied with the offerings on BIS
(I have them paired with the symphonies conducted by Chung, however I
believe they've been released separately, all three on one disc, like
the Chandos set, which I haven't heard).
Adam
Bob Harper
$4 US) on the RCA 'Navigator' series, not available in the US but easily
obtainable from AB Sound. You may have to wait a bit, but the performance is
definitely worth it. I'm hopeful this performance will receive the HP treatment,
along with some other Martinon/CSO.
Bob Harper
Hat NYC 62 wrote:
> I would suggest seeking out the Martinon 4th and the Gould 2nd, both on RCA.
> Superbly played and recorded. The Martinon is a real classic which has been MIA
> for a long time.
Bob Harper
4th, commonly criticized as being just too fast (but not by me). My set's on
British RCA, part of the "Symphony Edition" offered a few years ago which
contained, among other things, Wand's Beethoven and Brahms cycles. Too bad
those sets were never offered here.
Bob Harper
Marc Perman wrote:
> No one has mentioned the Berglund/Royal Danish Sym. on RCA set from
> the late 1980s, which is a bit more interesting than Blomstedt's set.
> The Danacord historic set of the symphonies was recently at Berkshire,
> but probably no longer.
>
> Marc Perman
Raymond Hall
>
> Hi all
>
> Due to my luck in the used stores lately, I have become
> a Nielsen fanatic. I'm looking to add to my collection which
> right now includes:
>
> Symphonies 1-6, 2-3, 4-5/ Leaper on Naxos
> Symphony 2 & Addladin Sutie/Myung-Whun Chung on BIS
> Symphonies 4 & 5/ Saraste on Finlandia
> Misc. Orchestral works (EMI double)/Blomstedt
> String Quartets on Naxos
> Wind Quintet on Naxos
>
> I know I should get the Blomstedt on Decca and look for the
> EMI's used, but are there any sleepers? For right now, is the
> Blomstedt EMI double sufficient for the concertos? Also, looking
> for recommendation for other music, like piano music, violin sonatas,
> choral and opera . I've heard bad things about the Naxos piano
> issues ( it was in Gramophone, so I'm skeptical) and have found only
> one version of the violin sonatas 1/2 on Chandos. Any and all
> help/opinions/rants appreciated.
>
interpretatively Blomstedt does nothing wrong (far from it) - it is
highly commendable. With a bit more "fire and brimstone", the Ole
Schmidt/LSO set is excellent (on Unicorn). Myung-Whun Chung, Bryden
Thomson, and Bernstein all have their admirers for the symphonies, not
forgetting the older classic accounts by Tuxen, etc. Lenny will always
find that 'something' that distinguishes all his recordings, and he is
an excellent "persuader". Haven't heard any Naxos recordings yet.
Two works, that you might like to investigate, are the Clarinet Concerto
and Flute Concerto, and the Chandos disc with Thomsen (clarinet) and
Christiansen (flute) with the Danish RSO under Schonwandt is excellent.
In fact the clarinet concerto is a very fortunate work on record, with
many fine performances. This work, IMHO, is one of Nielsen's
masterworks.
Regards,
Ray Hall, Sydney
Raymond Hall
by Grundahl? and a Danish orchestra (it was 4am in the morning, woke up
and just caught this performance) of the Nielsen 4th, recorded in 1951.
Exceptionally interesting, and well paced, although the strings at the
commencement of the final movement were heard scampering like demons.
Super stuff.
Regards,
Ray Hall, Sydney
Hat NYC 62
Marc Perman
>Sonically, Blomstedt/SFSO on Decca is a fine set for the symphonies, and
>interpretatively Blomstedt does nothing wrong (far from it) - it is
>highly commendable. With a bit more "fire and brimstone", the Ole
>Schmidt/LSO set is excellent (on Unicorn). Myung-Whun Chung, Bryden
>Thomson, and Bernstein all have their admirers for the symphonies, not
>forgetting the older classic accounts by Tuxen, etc. Lenny will always
>find that 'something' that distinguishes all his recordings, and he is
>an excellent "persuader". Haven't heard any Naxos recordings yet.
>Two works, that you might like to investigate, are the Clarinet Concerto
>and Flute Concerto, and the Chandos disc with Thomsen (clarinet) and
>Christiansen (flute) with the Danish RSO under Schonwandt is excellent.
>In fact the clarinet concerto is a very fortunate work on record, with
>many fine performances. This work, IMHO, is one of Nielsen's
>masterworks.
>
Neil
>I've been crusing Berkshire's on-line catalogue - any comments
>about Horenstein's coupling of the 3rd and 6th symphonies?
Buy. The 3rd is in lousy sound but the interpretation is superb - its a white
hot performance which seems to more satisfying than Bernstein's well known
version.
6th is in much better sound - decent BBC stereo.
Neil
David Grayshan
sure of the recording date, it first appeared on 78's though. Dutton's transfers
are excellent BTW. The whole orchestra plays like demons throughout: indeed it
seems to me that they rivalled the much-praised Philharmonia of the rime.
I have some other recordings with Jensen & Tuxen from the period, ex-Tono: Grieg
& Stravinsky Firebird inter alia. They are superb interpretations, played
superbly. What an orchestra that was in those days! Frtiz Busch had an important
hand in training & bringing it to that peak of perfection.
Regards,
David.
Raymond Hall wrote:
> (Snip)
Lawrence Kasimow
it from them over a year ago when it was still listed and they were unable
to fill the order.
Lawrence Kasimow
Bob Harper wrote in message <37B23979...@pacifier.com>...
>The Martinon 4th, together with the Previn 1st, is available very cheaply
(around
>$4 US) on the RCA 'Navigator' series, not available in the US but easily
>obtainable from AB Sound. You may have to wait a bit, but the performance
is
>definitely worth it. I'm hopeful this performance will receive the HP
treatment,
>along with some other Martinon/CSO.
>
>Bob Harper
>
>Hat NYC 62 wrote:
>
Adrian Hunter
>
> The true & authentic Nielsen can be heard on Dutton (Symphonies 1 & 5
> conducted by Tuxen and 2/Jensen &4/Grondahl), these are stunning
> performances, alas in mono only, and on Danacord (all 6 done severally by
> Tuxen, Jensen & Grondahl), same restrictions.
>
> These 1940's - 1950's performances have a special muscularity and intense
> orchestral sonorities, accompanied by perfect balancing and understanding
> of Nielsen's tempi and the relationships between these tempi, qualities
> that have never been equalled in any subsequent recordings. You soon
> forget the mono sound as you are carried away by the performances and
> confront Nielsen as he himself conducted his own music (I believe that two
> of the three conductors actually played under Nielsen's baton; Jensen was
> said to be especially accurate in reconstructing Nielsen's own
> performances).
>
> If you can find these discs - all mid-price - you will never regret
> acquiring them.
>
>
> David.
I heartily second that comment, both Dutton discs feature
excellent performances!
At the risk of repeating everyone else's recommendations, I would
also go for Bernstein's 3/5 (the 5th is superb, but the 3rd a
little cooler, IMO). I don't own any Blomstedt, but what I've
heard never has particularly impressed me. My surprise
recommendation would probably be Jarvi on DG for 3/4, which I
like quite a lot.
The string quartets on Naxos are good too, even though the
recording is a little too close.
Adrian
Mr. Mike
>I would suggest seeking out the Martinon 4th and the Gould 2nd, both on RCA.
The Martinon 4th and the Previn 1st are both on RCA Navigator from
England and/or Canada.
Stan
>
> Favorite Nielsen recordings of mine include the Previn/LSO 1st Symphony, the
> Barbirolli and Karajan 4ths and the Horenstein 5th. Wonderful music in
> powerful, poetic performances.
>
> --
> Michael Fine
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/mfine
> >
> > Due to my luck in the used stores lately, I have become
> > a Nielsen fanatic. I'm looking to add to my collection which
> > right now includes:
> >
> > Symphonies 1-6, 2-3, 4-5/ Leaper on Naxos
> > Symphony 2 & Addladin Sutie/Myung-Whun Chung on BIS
> > Symphonies 4 & 5/ Saraste on Finlandia
> > Misc. Orchestral works (EMI double)/Blomstedt
> > String Quartets on Naxos
> > Wind Quintet on Naxos
> >
> > I know I should get the Blomstedt on Decca and look for the
> > EMI's used, but are there any sleepers? For right now, is the
> > Blomstedt EMI double sufficient for the concertos? Also, looking
> > for recommendation for other music, like piano music, violin sonatas,
> > choral and opera . I've heard bad things about the Naxos piano
> > issues ( it was in Gramophone, so I'm skeptical) and have found only
> > one version of the violin sonatas 1/2 on Chandos. Any and all
> > help/opinions/rants appreciated.
> >
I would also add the Bernstein 3 and 5 on Sony. I second the Barbirolli
4th as well as the Menuhin 4th that is (was) on Virgin.
Stan
Michael Fine
Benjamin Maso
Will wrote in message <37b18751....@nntp.service.ohio-state.edu>...
>Hi all
>
>Due to my luck in the used stores lately, I have become
>a Nielsen fanatic. I'm looking to add to my collection which
>right now includes:
>
>Symphonies 1-6, 2-3, 4-5/ Leaper on Naxos
>Symphony 2 & Addladin Sutie/Myung-Whun Chung on BIS
>Symphonies 4 & 5/ Saraste on Finlandia
>Misc. Orchestral works (EMI double)/Blomstedt
>String Quartets on Naxos
>Wind Quintet on Naxos
>
>I know I should get the Blomstedt on Decca and look for the
>EMI's used, but are there any sleepers? For right now, is the
>Blomstedt EMI double sufficient for the concertos? Also, looking
>for recommendation for other music, like piano music, violin sonatas,
>choral and opera . I've heard bad things about the Naxos piano
>issues ( it was in Gramophone, so I'm skeptical) and have found only
>one version of the violin sonatas 1/2 on Chandos. Any and all
>help/opinions/rants appreciated.
>
>Will
You should certainly try to get recordings of his opera's Saul of David and
Maskerade.
A "sleeper" might be the recordings of the symphonies and other orchestral
works by Edward Serov and the Odense Symphony Orchestra (on Kontrapunkt).
Not a first class orchestra but the performances have much of the same
comnbination of ferocity and lyricism as the classic recordings of Vixen and
Jensen, which I can't hear in Blomstedt's.
Benjo Maso
Raymond Hall
was listening through some crappy bedside headphones (and half asleep,
but the timpani battle woke me), so wasn't able to determine the quality
of the sound, but the performance and playing of the orchestra certainly
shone through. I do remember the date given as 1951, and that it was a
Danish orchestra, and reading Adrian's post I should make the correction
about the conductor's name - which was Grondahl, and not Grundahl.
Regards,
Ray Hall, Sydney
gggg gggg
> Hi all
> Due to my luck in the used stores lately, I have become
> a Nielsen fanatic. I'm looking to add to my collection which
> right now includes:
> Symphonies 1-6, 2-3, 4-5/ Leaper on Naxos
> Symphony 2 & Addladin Sutie/Myung-Whun Chung on BIS
> Symphonies 4 & 5/ Saraste on Finlandia
> Misc. Orchestral works (EMI double)/Blomstedt
> String Quartets on Naxos
> Wind Quintet on Naxos
> I know I should get the Blomstedt on Decca and look for the
> EMI's used, but are there any sleepers? For right now, is the
> Blomstedt EMI double sufficient for the concertos? Also, looking
> for recommendation for other music, like piano music, violin sonatas,
> choral and opera . I've heard bad things about the Naxos piano
> issues ( it was in Gramophone, so I'm skeptical) and have found only
> one version of the violin sonatas 1/2 on Chandos. Any and all
> help/opinions/rants appreciated.
>
> Will
Dave's Faves No. 174 (Nielsen)
Jerry
There is another side of Nielsen on which I’d like to comment…….the songs and choral works. They’re not what you might expect from the creator of the percussive 4th and 5th symphonies. Many are light airy and unpretentious; some bittersweet.
For the songs, the classic collection is from Aksel Schiotz, from 78s. It enjoyed life on LP via HMV imports and Seraphim. On CD, it has appeared on Danacord #460. There are many other collections available in up-to-date sound. Two of the best are by Michael Kristensen, tenor (Naxos 8.554974) and Bo Holten in choral transcriptions (Naxos 8.554965). But both are from their Danish affiliate. Can’t understand why Naxos can’t find room for these in their gigantic worldwide catalogue. (Klaus, please take note.)
Fynsk Forar (Springtime in Funen) enjoys many good modern recordings (e.g. Salonen on Sony). (The “Blind Musician” for baritone and clarinet is a real gem.) Most in need of CD re-issue is the Woldike LP release on Philips (Mercury in the US) with a representative collection of songs on the second side. (Cyrus, please take note).
Getting back to the orchestral music, we are now almost 40 years into the CD/digital era and have yet to see the Markevitch Nielsen 4th and Saga-Drom officially re-issued. I suspect that FONA no longer exists and the master tapes may be lost or difficult to find. DG and Vox/Turnabout produced LPs under license so they might still have good transfer tapes. Will it be frozen in licensing limbo forever?
Jerry
Jon Bell
> Getting back to the orchestral music, we are now almost 40 years into the CD/digital era and have yet to see the Markevitch
> Nielsen 4th and Saga-Drom officially re-issued. I suspect that FONA no longer exists and the master tapes may be lost or
> difficult to find. DG and Vox/Turnabout produced LPs under license so they might still have good transfer tapes. Will it be frozen
> in licensing limbo forever?