# A beginner's guide to Nielsen



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

I was wondering which symphonic cycles should I listen to first or which works should I prioritize first. I dreaded at the prospects of listening to Nielsen after his Fourth Symphony which I found far too vague, "silent" and mindbogglingly complex. A bunch of notes being played. Still after a few months [or rather recently] I heard the first off Davis/LSO/LSO Live and I was suprised! Gone was the 20th Century figure [my notions of music were far too idiotic at that time] and came a typical late Romantic symphonic music composer!

I was wondering what's your favorite cycle of his symphonies? For the veterans, what is your favorite recordings per symphony?


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

1: I have no favourite recording.
2: Morton Gould is highly original, with extreme tempi; Chung is very engaged too.
3: I like the broadness and impressive sound of Chung here.
4: Martinon is unusally fast, a times too much, but often interesting, Karajan is too subdued IMO, Max Rudolf a bore. Blomstedt/SF among the more conventional options. It´s been a while since I heard say Markevitch, Barbirolli, or Bernstein, and there are probably other fine ones.
5: Bernstein, no contest, IMO.
6: no favourite.

Ole Schmidt: at times under-rehearsed, they did the whole cycle in a few days.

Suggestions for other Nielsen listening:

_Clarinet Concerto 
Aladdin Suite - Chung
An Imaginary Trip to the Faroe Islands, for orchestra

Wind Quintet
Serenata in Vano
Tågen letter/The Fog is Lifting

String Quartets, incl. op.13 & 44

Chaconne for Piano
Suite Luciferian, for piano
Humoresque Bagatelles for piano
3 Piano Pieces_


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

After learning about Nielsen via Bernstein, hearing the Ole Schmidt cycle, it was the Blomstedt/SFSO cycle which I found the most satisfying. I have heard good performances also by Previn, Barbirolli and others. Rozhdestvensky has done a really nice disc of shorter Nielsen pieces such as Helios, Saga Drom, etc.


----------



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Symphony no. 3 is the one that got me hooked. Such a grand and beautiful work! You can watch Bernstein's 1965 performance from Denmark on YouTube. 

And no. 5 is also great. Especially the 1st movement, which strikes me as highly original, and just some fantastic writing for winds. I have the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic recordings conducted by Douglas Bostock. I'm still trying to absorb the other four symphonies. 

I also enjoy the clarinet concerto, and wind quintet. I want to listen to some of his choral works as well, but there aren't that many good recordings.


----------



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

As a Nielsen beginner, I got the Blomstedt/Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra set. It was Symphony 5 and, nearly as strongly, Symphony 4, that decided me to get the cycle. I haven't gotten to the level of comparing recordings, as I only got this set last year, hence it has had but one listening session (a session is my way of saying I played the discs numerous times until I felt that I had 'heard' them). It's going to take quite a few more sessions for me to be able to say that I am familiar with the works. If you want to buy an inexpensive cycle to get started with, this one is recommended by me.










Rob Barnett, for MusicWeb International, said: "Splendid ... Blomstedt's lively imagination and attention to mood and instrumental detail make these recordings endlessly rewarding." You can read the full review here (on ArchivMusic).


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

I would suggest that the best gateway into appreciating Nielsen would be to listen to these works in order:

Symphony No 4 (Inextinguishable)
Helios Overture
Saga Drøm
Symphony No 3 (Espansiva)
Pan and Syrinx
Symphony No 5
Serenata in vano
Wind Quintet
Symphony No 2
Springtime on Funen
Violin Concerto
Symphony No 1
Symphony No 6
Clarinet Concerto
Flute Concerto
Commotio


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Delicious Manager said:


> I would suggest that the best gateway into appreciating Nielsen would be to listen to these works in order:
> 
> Symphony No 4 (Inextinguishable)
> Helios Overture
> ...


Nice list - the only thing I would add to this would be the String Quartets.


----------



## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

*Bryden Thomson's* Chandos set with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is a very safe bet (great, penetrating sound in the Chandos tradition, superb orchestra contribution, and Thomson's readings that are powerful, unadorned, and nicely rugged that fits the music well). *Chung/Jarvi* BIS set is also self-recommending. Others?

Symphony no. II: Esa Pekka-Salonen with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra (CBS).
Symphony no. III: Bernstein/Royal Danish Orchestra.
Symphony no. IV: Mehta/LA Phil.; Rattle/CBSO; Jarvi/Gothenburg; Blomstedt/SFSO.
Symphony no. V: Bernstein/NYPO; Blomstedt/SFSO
Symphony no. VI: Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Also,


Mogens Woldike and Danish State Radio Orchestra with Ib Erikson (Clarinet Concerto).
Thomas Jensen and Danish State Radio Orchestra with Gilbert-Jespersen (Flute Concerto).
Ulf Schirmer with Soloists and Danish National Royal Symphonic Orchestra and Choir (Maskarade).
Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the Danish Radio Symphony (Aladdin).
Thomas Dausgaard with the Danish Radio Symphony (Nielsen's overtures).
The Young Danish String Quartet (the Quartets).


----------



## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

Seen as a cycle I feel that Blomstedt/SFSO is the most sattisfying, but I would not want to be without Chung, Wöldike, Jensen, Mann, Bernstein, the earlier Blomstedt, Tuxen, Gröndahl, Oramo, Stokowski, Frandsen, Barbirolli, but I do not have any set favourite among these.

/ptr


----------



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Thank you one and all. You have given me sufficient data to quench my thirst for some time.

_Peace and love. V_


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

tdc said:


> Nice list - the only thing I would add to this would be the String Quartets.


My omission of the string quartets was deliberate. Apart from the last, they are all early works and none of them seems to me to be Nielsen at his best, which is a shame.


----------

