After the
Danacord historical sets of the Nielsen symphonies from
Tor
Mann and the composite set featuring
Tuxen,
Grøndahl and Jensen comes this Guild disc. They're a
company that continues to spring agreeable surprises and
this is certainly in that category. The Danacord sets and
the Guild must be read with several Nielsen discs documenting
classic Deccas of the 1940s and 1950s.
Guild here
remind us, through vintage mono stock, of the advocacy of
two of Nielsen's lesser known conductors. John Frandsen
(1918-96) produces a rather overlooked commercial recording
of
Espansiva first issued by Philips. While it lacks
the headlong tilt of Bernstein (
Sony)
its pulse remains vital. Frandsen makes much of the phrasing;
detail lovingly dwelt-on makes it distinctive. If anything,
his way is with the caressing of phrases some of which emerge
in a new light. You would never call him impulsive - at least
not on this evidence. After the middle two lingering pastorals
comes the damask hymnal weight of the Finale. This is driven
with urgency and with brass ablaze. This is a grand opportunity
to catch up with a fine yet forgotten commercial release
which tapped into and amplified the excitement created by
the revelatory performances of the Fifth by Tuxen at the
1950 Edinburgh Festival and of the
Fourth at
the RFH by
Launy
Grøndahl in 1951. Frandsen was principal conductor of
the Royal Danish Opera (1946-1980). He was awarded the Carl
Nielsen Prize in 1981. His other recordings include the Symphonies
4 and 5 and
Music of the Spheres by Rued Langgaard
(
DACOCD560)
and
Three Psalms by Herman D Koppel (
DACOCD567-8).
After Frandsen
and Nielsen 3 we hear history being made in a wonderfully
present and gripping recording of the very Edinburgh Festival
concert performance that set the Nielsen revival running
outside Denmark. The audience cough and splutter a lot but
we do not begrudge them that. In return we hear the DRSO
opening the Nielsen Bible to the British public. The Fifth
Symphony remains for me the most potent introduction to this
composer. Nielsen was back on the international map as a
result of the Edinburgh revelation. The conductor was Erik
Tuxen (1902-57) who recorded the work with the same orchestra
on five 12 inch 78s. Tuxen is not as dramatic as
Bernstein -
or for that matter Berglund - but there is a smoking tension
about this performance as well as a nicely balanced pastoralism
even if the percussion are extremely closely recorded. In
the first movement the strings glow with a sumptuous luminosity.
The horns bell out most movingly at 13:20 onwards at the
aureate climax of the first movement.
Erik Tuxen
also recorded the Piano Concerto 3 and Clarinet Concerto
on
DACOCD561-2 which
also includes the Jolivet Piano Concerto. His Nielsen 1 and
5 are on DACOCD351-3 and Grieg's Piano Concerto is on DACOCD491-2.
He can also be heard in Nielsen 3 and 5 on
Dutton.
Nielsen 1 and 5 are on another
Dutton Decca
transfer.
This disc
is exhaustively documented by Robert Matthew-Walker. Nielsen
enthusiasts will have to have this disc. Their needs are
well served in these two historic recordings including the
UK premiere of Nielsen 5.
Rob Barnett
Ruth Güldbæk
(soprano); Erik Sjoberg (baritone) 
