Nielsen: Symphonies no 1-3 / Blomstedt, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

Kevin McMillan (Performer), Carl Nielsen (Composer), Herbert Blomstedt (Conductor), San Francisco Symphony Chorus (Orchestra), Nancy Wait Kromm (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kevin McMillan, Nancy Wait Kromm
• Orchestra: San Francisco Symphony Chorus
• Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt
• Composer: Carl Nielsen
• Audio CD (October 12, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00001X5A0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #109,866 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars actually I'd give it six stars if possible, April 20, 2001

By	"[e-mail]" (søborg Denmark) - See all my reviews

as a Dane I cannot think of anything more radically Scandinavian than the musical language spoken in Espansiva. The composer described the finale allegro as an homage to work and the healthy development of daily life. If you have no intention of visiting this region, do listen to the fourth movement of this marvelously well performed symphony, because by the end of that movement you've seen it all in color. A swedish conductor, Herbert Blomstedt, and the San Francisco Symphony Orch. just serve to show that the world belongs to all of us.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the 20th Century's Finest Symphonism, August 13, 2001

By	Karl Henning "Composer & Clarinetist" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great sound, great performances, great music. (Long version follows.)

For years, all I knew of Nielsen's work was the brilliant clarinet concerto. I can't give a good answer to the question, "Why haven't you sought ought his other music sooner?" Especially now that I have heard all six symphonies, and the other concerti.

This two-disc set I have found resiliently re-visit-able, from the impressively-assured first symphony, to the effulgent Sinfonia espansiva. And particularly the colorful "Aladdin" Suite, which features the Western orchestra producing marvelous Mid-Eastern effects.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Symphonic Cycle with Great Bonuses, July 20, 2000

By	Ed Luhrs (Long Island, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I also wrote a review for 4-6, the second companion volume to 1-3, but I'd just like to emphasize that the first volume and the second volume go hand in hand. You get to hear Nielsen's evolving ideas as a symphonic writer by having both of them. On this disc, I was astounded by Symphony #3, "Espansiva," which shares a spot with #4 "The Inextinguishable" as my two favorite Nielsen works. The 4-6 recording has great choral and string music in addition to the symphonies, and this recording has "Maskerade" and the "Alladin" Suite, the latter of which is amazing fun--has a different character than the symphonies in that it is lighthearted and indicative that Nielsen did write really colorful melodies and danceable rhythms. Overall, a fine variety of expression with top notch orchestral output by Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony.