Customer Reviews

Niels Gade: Symphonies Vol. 3

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For years, Gade was simply a footnote for me, and the name of one of Grieg's Lyric Pieces. Danish music meant Carl Neisen. Was there room in the country for another great composer?

Yes, I was an ignorant fool. Gade is an amazing composer, a true master in his own right, though he is definitely a follower of Mendelssohn and Schumann, though particularly the former. As I am slowly working through his symphonies, I am amazed by the incredible range and sheer sumptuousness of his music. I started with this disc, and I can think of no better place to start, particularly as it begins with his monumental Opus 1, Echoes of Ossian. What an overture! It conjures up something of the world of The Hebrides and Ruy Blas, though it has a distincly Scandinavian atmosphere (and accent?). Rhapsodic and driving in turns, it is a truly astounding piece for a yound man to write--a gauntlet through to the small minds of musical authority in his native country (who disapproved of his First Symphony, finding it too German).

His Third Symphony is a gentler, and perhaps less obviously "Danish" or "Scandinavian" work, and yet, it is very distinct from the kind of works Mendelssohn and Schumann were writing. The music is warm, rich, yet supple; it seems to bounce and glow, never too ardent in its romanticism, but certainly not cold and mannered. I particularly love the opening movement, which opens like a symphony of Mendelssohn (a bit like the Scottish, though the last movement), and continues to tread its own, unique course.

The true masterpiece for me, however, is the Sixth Symphony. This is a very unique work, truly the music of a man who had found his own path between the steps of giants. A haunting opening movement--yet dramatic as well--leads to a beautiful, gentle slow movement, and athletic scherzo, and one of the most exciting finales of the period. It's constantly bouncing between darkness and light, and the orchestration is magnificent. I feel so lucky to have found this work--and feel profoundly thankful to live in the age of CDs, where such music can be performed at a whim in my CD player. Now if only we could get Gade back into the concert hall...

The rewarding Chandos series of the Gade symphonies with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under Christopher Hogwood continues with yet another very attractive installment. Throughout his compositional career Gade more or less stuck to the rather Mendelssohnian style he developed in his early works, but he retained an individual touch and an impressive ability to come up with clear and memorable tunes. Later works, however, often take on a more introspective quality and contain features that might, intriguingly, point forward all the way to Carl Nielsen. For the most part, however, the earlier symphonies are more rewarding than the later works (and the first is probably the best), displaying a freshness and level of invention he never quite managed to return to.

The third symphony belongs among those relatively early works, and is an energetic, spirited work of no mean craftsmanship and several very good ideas - some of the melodic material, at least, is genuinely memorable. Hogwood and the orchestra offer spirited playing, often on the fast side, and manage to make the music sing - charming, suave and with an impish streak, negotiating all the tricky passages in ways that come across as thoroughly convincing. But as with the previous releases one could imagine more romantic atmosphere.

The sixth symphony is sturdier, with influences from several near contemporaries (Reinecke, in particular) being audible. Despite the impressive effort made for it by Hogwood and the Danish players, it never really convinces, however - perhaps with the exception of the energetically playful finale. The couplings are more interesting, however. Echoes of Ossian was Gade's breakthrough and remains his most famous work - a superbly crafted, strikingly memorable, utterly romantic work; it is well played here, but with more charm than dark drama. We also get a discarded first movement for the third symphony, and it is in fact even more melodically striking and overall attractive than the final version - even if it is a little more loosely constructed and perhaps a tad overlong. Everything gets very fine sound quality and overall this disc warrants a safe recommendation.