Nielsen-lover James Zehm writes:

>I would say much of NAXOS' Vaughan-Williams are very, very good.  That
>"Job" for example.  The same goes for Walton - and Nielsen.  I would
>say much of NAXOS' Vaughan-Williams are very, very good.  That "Job"
>for example.  The same goes for Walton - and Nielsen.  Kuchar is a
>good conductor too, with a good sense for structure.

I agree that Naxos has some marvelous recordings even of the basic
repertoire and its sound is often superior.  But, I would be careful with
Nielsen, whose sound is so different from his contemporaries.  That is
why the historical recordings play a special importance for grabbing the
newcomer to this most approachable of twentieth century composers.  Even
Danes today have lost the link back to Nielsen.

Listen to the Danacord or Dutton recordings of the symphonies with
conductors who spoke the musical language Nielsen did.  It is very tricky
to strike a balance between the muscularity in Nielsen and a certain
suppleness or grace that gymnasts display.  The symphonies are not simply
continuations of Beethoven, although they are certainly rooted in the
tradition.  Even when his orchestra is at its thickest, there is a rustic
elegance not unlike the French impressionists.  That is why it is a
surprise for those new to Nielsen to find that the Martinon of the Fourth
with the Chicago Symphony is so highly regarded.  If you need reasonably
modern performances there are lots better than the Naxos release, such
as Blomstedt with the San Francisco and the now cut-out Chung and Jarvi,
Gothenburg set on Bis.

Is it better to have the Naxos versions of the Wind Quintet than not
to hear it at all? Absolutely.  But the Wind Quintet of 1932, made up
of Nielsen's buddies, imbues it with a "je ne sais quoi" that makes all
the difference.  Maybe it is that Nielsen's music is like Danish itself.
It is syntactical German, but is pronounced like French, with lightness
foreign to German.

It would be a disservice to encourage anyone who has not heard Nielsen's
huge collection of songs to listen to any other voice before they have
heard Aksel Schiotz.

Andrew Carlan