Carl Nielsen: Complete Symphonies

The six symphonies of Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) are among the glories of modern orchestral music; mostly melodically accessible, if somewhat innovative formally—the exception being the sixth, which despite a lyrical opening is highly experimental—the pieces are also very distinctive. Performed here by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under conductor Michael Sch(nwandt, the six readings in this November 2004 concert are authoritative and vibrant, although the resonant acoustics of the Danish Radio Concert Hall sometimes rob the opulent sound (presented here in DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo) of heft and bite (the bass response in particular seems a bit weak, although the dueling kettle drums of the Fourth Symphony are impressive). Sch(nwandt doesn't quite match the intensity of Leonard Bernstein, as viewers will see in a brief excerpt from the marvelous Third Symphony included in the hour-long documentary “The Light and the Darkness” that constitutes the sole bonus. Made by composer Karl Aage Rasmussen, the profile covers Nielsen's troubled personal and professional life reasonably well, but in an ostentatiously arty style, and the English narration is curiously stilted. At this point, Carl Nielsen: Complete Symphonies is the only Nielsen symphony cycle on DVD, and it's a solid rendition of superb music overall. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)