Originally released on Dacapo, this was the final installment of Michael Schonwandt’s excellent complete Nielsen cycle (reviewed by colleague David Hurwitz, type Q2744 in Search Reviews). The performances are outstanding for their vibrancy and warmth–qualities you would expect in No. 1, but are equally present in the somewhat more acerbic No. 6. True, there’s more virtuoso orchestral playing (particularly in No. 6’s finale) to be heard from the San Francisco Symphony under a more driven Herbert Blomstedt, but the Danish National Radio Symphony players provide an unforced naturalness that is quite ingratiating. The recording itself has similar qualities–the orchestra placed comfortably in a spacious acoustic with wide dynamic range. These are just the sorts of performances that debunk the notion, most recently voiced by the New York Times, that “Nielsen is a nice composer: a little north of good, considerably south of great”. An important release, made even more attractive by the Naxos price. [5/13/2008]
