Danish-born Ludolf Nielsen (there’s no familial connection with his famous compatriot Carl) lived between 1876 and 1939 and produced a total of 20 compositions encompassing a wide variety of conventional genres. One of the most exceptional and innovative among them is a quasi-symphonic, oratorio-style setting–for large orchestra, chorus, and vocal soloists–of Gyrithe Lemche’s text based on the Biblical narrative concerning the Tower of Babel. Briefly, the work falls into two main sections, the first depicting mankind’s lust for power and pre-eminence, and the second recounting in visionary style the pathway of fallen humanity back to reconciliation with the divine, all presented in a majestic and epic score culminating in a thrillingly optimistic paean.
It appears that only two performances of The Tower of Babel ever took place–and goodness knows why, for this is a powerful and memorable work! The first was given in April, 1916, after which the piece languished virtually forgotten until it was exhumed by the performers on this disc for a broadcast given for the European Broadcasting Union in October, 1999. Soon after, the work received its first and only commercial recording.
Directing the excellent Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus with a fine trio of vocal soloists, Owain Arwel Hughes secures a vivid and arresting performance, the more satisfying for the sumptuous and gutsy recorded sound on this Da Capo production. The booklet reproduces the texts in full; however, Hughes’ account is so magnetically compelling that you’ll probably just want to listen to the music in full a couple of times before paying more serious attention to the words.
This fine CD also includes Nielsen’s tone poem Skovvandring (“Forest Walk”) Op. 40, derived not from any darkly impenetrable northen glade, but (like his namesake Carl’s Pan and Syrinx and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe) rather from the world of Classical Greek mythology. It’s one of Nielsen’s best works and it receives a masterfully calculated and eloquent performance here from Hughes and the Danish Radio Symphony. Although the playing is uniformly excellent, surely the un-named concertmaster deserves a credit for some beautiful playing in the big violin solo of Scene 3, “The Death of the Dryad”. Like most of Danish Radio’s Da Capo series devoted to Danish composers, this release is very highly recommended. Even if you’ve not come across this composer before, you can approach these works in the complete assurance that you’ll find both tremendously rewarding.
