19.09.2011 - Carl Nielsen

[Colonel Danby]

I've loved Nielsen's music for years, when in 1987 I borrowed an university friend's recording of the Espansiva and the Clarinet Concerto which had recently been released on Bis with Chung and the Gothenburg SO: I was immediately hooked, line and sinker, and rushed out to buy my own copy and the rest as they came out. Then Simon Rattle did a whole cycle of the symphonies with the CBSO, and the wonderful Robert Layton introducing them from the stage in Symphony Hall Birmingham.

Nielsen's music is great stuff (though Rued Langgaard wouldn't agree with me).

[aeolium]

I've enjoyed every minute of this week's CotW, excellently put together and presented by Donald Macleod. There was a very good range of Nielsen's output in almost every genre and some magical performances. As I think S_A commented near the start of this thread, there was a fascinating combination of naivety and sophistication, and a humanity and optimism shining through even the dark passages.

Especially enjoyable were some of the (to me) lesser known works such as the Strophic Songs and some of the piano music (I loved Aksel Schiotz' singing of one of the Strophic Songs).

A wonderful CotW and when there is so much gloom about weekday mornings on R3, it's good to have something to praise