A generation ago, the symphonies of
Carl Nielsen, except for the
Symphony No. 4, Op. 29 ("Inextinguishable") and
Symphony No. 5, Op. 50, were fairly rare on concert programs, at least outside Scandinavia. However, his star has been on the rise, along with those of some other composers who were neither modernists nor conservatives and the decade before the 2023 release of this set saw others by prominent orchestras and conductors. This one, by
Fabio Luisi leading the
Danish National Symphony Orchestra, can stand with any on the market. This orchestra has
Nielsen in its bones like no other, and
Luisi, although not Danish, has plainly made it his business to master the music of the home team. Some of these recordings have appeared singly to positive receptions, but the whole set is desirable, for it captures the unity of the symphonies as a strand in
Nielsen's work. The famous symphonies are vividly done. Sample the crackling percussion chaos of the
Symphony No. 5, the nervous, thoroughly modern but not atonal
Symphony No. 6, and the seemingly effortless unspooling of the logic of the
"Inextinguishable." Yet the set is equally interesting in
Luisi's readings of the first three symphonies, which retain more Romantic influence yet are fully focused on innovative formal thinking. There is a sense of irresistible forward motion throughout that is essential to
Nielsen's music. Complaints are few and include fairly bizarre graphics from
Deutsche Grammophon and, more seriously, sound from the DR radio Koncerthuset that adds a harsh quality that probably wasn't actually there. However, nothing distracts from the fine work done here, work that may come to be seen as standard. This set, retailing at a hefty price, hit classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2023. ~ James Manheim
