Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto & Songs; Rued Langgaard: String Quartet No. 3

Editorial Reviews
Classicstoday.com
"10/10" Highest Rating

Classicstoday.com
The remarkable disc, emanating from the 1999 Danish Wave festival, contains some spectacular music making.

Album Description
In 1999, the government of Denmark sponsored a festival of Danish arts in New York City. The culminating event of this festival was the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, which included attendance by Her Majesty, Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark. This disc features Silver Medalist Saeka Matsuyama's electrifying competition performance of Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto, accompanied by Denmark's Odense Symphony Orchestra. Matsuyama's performance of the Nielsen Concerto also earned the 18-year old violinist the Odense Symphony Orchestra's Special Prize. Opening this celebratory disc is a stunning performance by the Miro String Quartet of Rued Langgaard's remarkable String Quartet No. 3. Considered to be among Langgaard;s finest compositions, the Miro Quartet gives a reading that had American and Danish critics reaching for superlatives. Rounding out this CD is a selection of songs by Carl Nielsen. Sung by the Danish baritone, Lars Thodberg Bertelsen, this group features some of Nielsen's most popular songs, including Irmelin Rose.

Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto & Songs; Rued Langgaard: String Quartet No. 3

Customer Reviews:

A strong collaboration that is of one mind.......2006-07-26

Esa-Pekka Salonen and Cho-Liang Lin seem to think alike, as one immediately notices here. In both the Sibelius and Nielsen concertos the orchestral part runs along seamlessly with the soloist. It's rare for violin virtuosos to submit themselves to an equal partner, and perhaps Lin goes a bit too far. He has a big tone (especially as miked here) and a very direct way of expressing himself. I only wish he'd cut loose in the first movement of the Sibelius, or that in the finale his playing felt a little less controlled.

But those are quibbles. There's a lot to be thrilled by in these muscular, sometimes brash performances. As remastered, Sony's recorded sound for Lin is demonstration quality, adding a great deal to one's pleasure. The Nielsen is so well played that for years this CD was the front-runner, although Vengerov has managed to beat Lin out with extra passion and finesse. Even so, Lin has musical integrity and impeccable technique. The stronger personality here, I suspect, is Salonen, who is a first-rate Sibelian and turns the orchestral parts of both concertos into symphonic works.

The Passion and Precision of Sibelius and Nielsen Flow from these Performances.......2006-01-23

That Esa-Pekka Salonen and Cho-Liang Lin have enjoyed a strong collaborative affinity over the past years is well known and their recordings never fail to satisfy, no matter the composer's works at hand. But this now restored recording of the fiendishly difficult Sibelius and Nielsen Violin Concerti with Salonen conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra of London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra is once again proof that few musicians understand these works as well as the partnership of Salonen and Lin.

Lin's sumptuous, golden tone is never forced out of focus even in the most rapid sequences of the Sibelius. His intonation and phrasing are right in the middle of the target and his integration with the orchestral fabric is so natural that when exposed phrases emerge it is as though the entire string section is distilled into one instrument. The second movement is one of the most beautiful ever recorded, with Lin and Salonen bringing all the understated Nordic passion into full flower.

The Nielsen is rarely performed and the reasons are unclear, especially hearing the way the concerto works so well in these collaborators' hands. The performance is bracing and makes the most of Nielsen's extended melodic lines.

If there is a 'flaw' to be found, it is in the recorded sound of the orchestras. Whether that is due to the orchestras or to the engineers is unclear, though having just heard the LA Philharmonic with Hilary Hahn as the mesmerizing soloist leaves one thinking it is the former. The Sibelius in Disney Hall becomes a musical experience that rings through the spaces of the hall and the mind long after the final chord. Now that Salonen and the LA Phil are recording for DGG let's hope that he and Lin will again record these concerti in this ambience. Until that time, this amazingly affordable CD is a must for every collector. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

Much Needed Reissue.......2006-01-08

This CD has been out since 2004, but only recently has it started selling here at Amazon. That is because when this new line of Sony "Great Performances" first came out, they were being offered exclusively through Tower Records, but now thankfully they are available anywhere fine music is sold (I sound like a commercial). There were a dozen or so initial "GP" titles and the majority of them have been previously available on CD at full price, and with this reissue are receiving their midline debut. And for this Sibelius/Nielsen VC CD that is very important as copies of its out-of-print predescesor were being sold at outrageous prices in the Amazon Marketplace. I won't go into specifics about these performances, other than to say they are brilliant, because there are some great commentaries posted with its previous incarnation. I'm still fuming mad at Sony for recently deleting so many of their best CDs, but at least they are continuing to make some classics available once again.

Average customer rating:

Interesting Mix, but not for serious classical music listeners
a must have flute cd
takes you to another place and time!

Flute Greatest Hits

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Interesting Mix, but not for serious classical music listeners .......2005-08-08

Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart are all too well known, but less known musics are blended well into this CD. That's why I bought this CD. I think this is a good CD to familiarlize myself to flute pieces, but as a serious classical music listener it may come in short as more than half of pieces in this CD are something too famous and were listened so many times. This CD can be used to know what I like and then move forward from there. I am the type of listener who listen to the entire Carmen of Bizet instead of listening to only one part or two of it. If a listener is unfamiliar with clessical music, I think this is a good one to start.

a must have flute cd.......2001-07-23

this is a great flute cd. i enjoy the fact that the cd has many preformers rather than just one. Jean-Pierre Rampal, of course probably the most famouse flutist, and William Bennett, an amazing flutist who I was fortuante enough to hear in person, are both on this cd, as well as a few other great flutist. i especially enjoyed Siciliene, because i have never heard it played with flute and hard, and because i have played the piece myself.

even if you haven't heard of some of these songs it is wonderful to listen to them. i recomend this cd for flutiests of all levels.

takes you to another place and time!.......2000-08-25

This cd is by far the most beautiful that I have ever heard! It just takes you away to another place and time, far from your worries, very relaxing. I highly reccomend this to anyone who loves beautiful music!

Average customer rating:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations

The Violinist
Yehudi Menuhin , Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Ludwig van Beethoven , Alban Berg , Johannes Brahms , Max Bruch , Arcangelo Corelli , Edward Elgar , Franz Joseph Haydn , Edouard Lalo , Felix Mendelssohn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Carl Nielsen , Niccolo Paganini , Camille Saint-Saens , Jean Sibelius , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Michael Tippett , Henri Vieuxtemps , Antonio Vivaldi , William Walton , Alberto Lysy , Anatole Fistoulari , Antal Dorati , Anthony Bernard , Gaston Poulet , John Pitchard , Mogens Woldike , Pierre Boulez , and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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I. Allegro
II. Andante
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Customer Reviews:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations.......2004-01-06

The recent trend toward classical box sets focusing on the performer instead of the composer (see my reviews of the various DG/Decca "Original Masters" sets) continues with EMI's new "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist." Sure EMI's past sets have showcased individual performances by Samson Francois, Eugen Jochum and Rudolf Kempe to name a few, but it was always under the heading of a given composer's works, and in the cases mentioned above, to Chopin's piano pieces, Bruckner's Symphonies and Strauss' Orchestral Works respectively. Therefore, this Menuhin collection is the first of EMI's "Budget Box Sets" to showcase a performer playing the works of a variety of composers.

As Menuhin was an EMI recording artist for an incredible 68 years (1931-99), his performances for the label number in the hundreds. With so much music from which to choose, this 10-disc set aims "to highlight some of those alternative versions, including recordings that have not been easily available since the days of LP and others that have never previously appeared on CD." Therefore, the obvious mainstream, easily attainable recordings are omitted here -- for example, the Beethoven/Mendelssohn VCs with Furtwangler, the Elgar VC with the composer conducting, and the Bruch/Mendelssohn VCs with Susskind and Kurtz.

However, a lot of this material has been on disc before on titles which the serious collector most likely already owns. Most of the Bach is currently available as part of the Bach "Budget Box Series" title. The Bruch, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Vivaldi VCs were all available in the now out-of-print 2CD EMI Seraphim series. The Elgar and the Walton are still available in the "British Composers" series. And perhaps most annoyingly, the previously unpublished Beethoven VC and Tchaikovsky "Serenade melancolique" (available as a single disc), and the Beethoven Romance No. 2 (available on an EMI Encore title) were both reissued just a few months back.

But let's focus on the positive, which are the other rare performances, the most significant being the never before reissued 1954 performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 with John Pritchard and the Philharmonia. Other elusive recordings include Viuextemps and Paganini VCs with Fistoulari, Lalo and Saint-Saens works with Goossens, and excellent Berg and Bartok accounts with Boulez. Though I'm delighted at their inclusion, of lesser importance is a 1965 Bartok VC No. 2 with Dorati -- his mono EMI with Furtwangler and an earlier account with Dorati on Mercury Living Presence are far superior. Also, neither the Sibelius (Boult, 1955) nor Nielsen (Woldike, 1952) Concertos are truly Menuhin's cups of tea.

My last complaint has to do with the packaging. I know I'm being rather trite but it seems that EMI has taken the "slim" out of slim, paper-sleeved box sets with their latest batch of releases. Both this title and the new box of Liszt Orchestral Works by Masur are noticeably thicker than previous EMI sets featuring a similar number of discs. A minor point, but us serious classical collectors need every centimeter of space on our increasingly crowded CD shelves, not to mention the amount of wasted packaging.

Overall though, despite the fact that "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist" is not as essential a reissue as its counterparts in the "Original Masters" series, it is a delightful set that most collectors will thoroughly enjoy.

Jean Sibelius / Carl Nielsen: Violin Concertos - Maxim Vengerov / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim

Average customer rating:

The Nielsen is a once-in-a-lifetime performance
Awful!
Quite Good Overall
3/4 of this CD is great
Very strange.

Jean Sibelius / Carl Nielsen: Violin Concertos - Maxim Vengerov / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Barenboim
Jean Sibelius , Carl Nielsen , Daniel Barenboim , Maxim Vengerov , and Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amazon.com essential recording

If the music of this Finnish master has ever seemed chilly and remote, this performance is likely to be a revelation. While Maxim Vengerov doesn't deliver the spectacular Northern Lights that Isaac Stern achieved early in his career, the hot-fingered Siberian goes for the underlying angst that gives this music a whole new level of depth. Conductor Barenboim, who's not known for his Sibelius, is similarly on his toes. The Nielsen performance is inevitably less seasoned; even the piece's strongest advocates have trouble convincing anybody to let them play it, though it's a first-class work. Thus, it's gratifying simply to hear such charismatic forces playing it, with its Danish sensibility making compatible bedfellows with Sibelius's sparer, Nordic manner. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

The Nielsen is a once-in-a-lifetime performance.......2006-07-26

Most listeners will buy this CD for the Sibelius concerto and stay (perhaps) for the Nielsen, but it's the latter that is the real triumph. I was going to do a comparative review of versions from Nikolaj Znaider, Cho-Liang Lin, and Vengerov, but as I listened it quickly became apparent that there isn't any commparison. Vengerov applies amazing finesse to Nielsen's sometimes enigmatic writing. He finds humor in the folk-dance tune at the end and passion in the opening cadenza that none of the others equals. Barenboim gives an alert, sympathetic accompaniment. Five stars without a doubt.

The Sibelius is more problematic. I agree with the reviewer below who places blame squarely with Barenboim, whose conducting is slow, mannered, and uninspired--a very poor showing unless you happen to like him unconditionally. Vengerov does his best to adapt, and he exhibits playing that is often intensely involving. On the ohter hand, he shreds his attacks in the finale (taken at a lumpish tempo) and ultimately can't carry the whole work himself. Three stars for a missed opportunity.

Awful!.......2005-09-14

1 star just for playing the wonderful Sibelius and 1 more for the rarely performed Nielsen. However the performance and recording is just plain awful. The sound is flimsy and detached, none of the brooding, icy fire that I usu. enjoy in this music. The Oistrakh version still reigns supreme at the moment.

Quite Good Overall.......2005-06-23

I find it interesting to see such polarized ratings on this CD. I think that both sides of the argument have a great deal of validity, but overall, this is a very nice CD.

First of all, the clenliness of the playing is rather sloppy. There is occasional bow noise and intonation issues, as well as rather sloppy-sounding runs. The general rhythmicism of the piece could be improved. I also will acknowledge that the interpretation is not always well though out and that the phrasing, dynamics, and timbre could be better exaggerated. There factors all combine to make a rather sloppy CD.

However, Vengerov deserves a great deal of recognition for his forceful playing, full volume, excellent articulation, and great tonal quality. If a bit sloppy, his playing is very powerful and energetic. He also seems to have a better sense of style than Shaham and Bell.

Combined with the fact that the Sibelius is one of the top violin masterpieces and that the Nielsen is a rarely heard masterpiece, I would strongly recommend this CD, as it is the best Sibelius I have heard so far. There's definitely room for improvement, but I'm impressed.

3/4 of this CD is great.......2005-03-16

When it comes to couplings, you simply cannot beat this one, the two greatest violin concertos from Scandinavia. The Nielsen, in four movements but with only one break, is highly underrated. It may not be the most beautiful violin concerto but it is powerful and quite original. The performance here is simply spectacular. The playing by Vengerov in the Sibelius is also on a very high level but I find the conducting of Barenboim to be cold and totally uninspired. If you already have a great recording of the Sibelius but none of the Nielsen, go ahead and purchase this CD. I believe you will love the Nielsen.

Very strange........2004-02-10

Maxim Vengerov is a great player, that's why I'm giving this cd 3 stars. His interpretation of this piece, however, is not very good. I recommend buying Nigel Kennedy's Just Listen cd for a better recording.

Average customer rating:

Danish music with Danish spirit

Nielsen: The Complete Concertos

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Violin Concerto, Op. 33: Praeludium - Largo, part 1
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Customer Reviews:

Danish music with Danish spirit.......2000-12-30

I don't have a lot to compare by on the flute and violin concerti, but as a clarinet player who has heard a lot of recordings of the clarinet concerto, none can compare to Mr. Thomsen's recording of the clarinet concerto. It's full of the necessary "piss and vinegar" spirit that this concerto demands, with the tenderness that slow moments require, as well. Going on knowledge of how Mr. Nielsen's music is to be performed, all of the soloists do a fabulous job of playing this exceedingly difficult music. The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra also provides a fine, spirited accompaniment to these solo pieces. For authenticity of style, I can't recommend a better recording. And for all those clarinetists out there, do yourself a favor and AVOID Drucker's recording in favor of this. He has no emotion!

Nikolaj Znaider: Nielsen - Violin Concerto & Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1, G-minor

Average customer rating:

Wow, These V Ctos are sooopa: Nielsen & Bruch - 5 STARS
BREATHTAKING!
Very personal reading

Nikolaj Znaider: Nielsen - Violin Concerto & Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1, G-minor

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bravo! Virtuoso and Romantic Encores for Violin
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ASIN: B000055Y1O
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Vn Con, Op.33: I. Prld, Largo
Vn Con, Op.33: II. Allegro Cavalleresco
Vn Con, Op.33: III. Poco Adagio
Vn Con, Op.33: IV. Rondo: Allegretto Scherzando
Vn Con No.1 in g, Op.26: V. Allegro Moderato
Vn Con No.1 in g, Op.26: VL. Adagio
Vn Con No.1 in g, Op.26: VIL: Allegro Energico

Customer Reviews:

Wow, These V Ctos are sooopa: Nielsen & Bruch - 5 STARS.......2006-09-05

This disc was released as Nikolaj Znaider's debut disc on EMI. He has now jumped labels, but good for dear old EMI/Angel, they retain him in their catalogue.

While the Bruch is an easy choice for a first violin concert outing, it also might be viewed as too fraught with risk, too. How many listeners already have sweet memories of other good and great violinists who have also recorded it so well?

So it must take some nerve to do the Bruch. But. More about that in a moment.

What about the Carl Nielsen?

As to the concerto itself, the more often I have heard it lately, the more I am convincing myself that it probably is the greatest violin concerto of the 20th century. It towers like the Beethoven or the Brahms or the Mendelssohn over the beautiful topography of its neighbors amidst the relevant era's musical landscape.

Some of that heady esteem may no doubt be due to this performance in particular. Yes. In particular. High props to all involved.

Znaider simply brings a stunning and persuasive combination of incredible gifts to bear upon his very personal, deftly etched vision of this modern concerto. He of course makes its technical difficulties sound like a stroll in the greenest park on the sunniest, warm day. If he ever breaks a sweat from gut-stringed effort, it simply doesn't show. But, what is beneath all that stupendous technique is the real deal that wins hearts, musical hearts, human hearts.

Based on technique alone, Znaider sounds like he is as gifted as was Heifitz, right from the start. But he is warmer and more openly Mediterranean than Heifitz usually sounded. His violin tone is never anything but superbly refined, pure silver, but this metal was born in fires and furnaces and behind the sheen glows such sensual hot stuff that one is a bit embarrassed to admit one hears it, too. Znaider's obvious intellect doesn't keep such a relentless grip on either his sense of fun, or on his Mona Lisa smile, or on that precious effervescent joy of just being alive in such wonderful music - as just might have often been the case with Jascha H.

The supposed structural oddities of the Nielsen simply disappear under Znaider's fingers. A listener does not wish for any other way of the composer's story being told than blessedly happens on this disc. The directness and charm are winning, even disconcerting. The musical greatness of the Nielsen doesn't come through, then, because Znaider is huffing and puffing and grandstanding. No, not at all. You can start off, receiving this visitor as the affable and somewhat old fashioned Nordic stranger you probably first take him to be, and yet still end up in awe of his rustic idealism, simple but starry musical imagination - and depth, depth, depth.

True to his technical and more genius, Znaider doesn't skimp when Nielsen jokes around, laughing, nudging, punning, almost skipping along. Sometimes a listener to all this fun being poked in passing feels like he is a third party passerby to the big jokes being made between the composer and the violinist. Here, try this one, Nielsen seems to be saying, knowing full well that not one light, fast note of that last violin run was easy in the least.

Znaider is so technically sure of himself that one never fears he will fall off the musical fences. Indeed, he seems positively capable of impossible levitations at the very same time that a phrased inflection, true to Nielsen, wafts sweet with clover, greens, and fertile loam. If this violin concerto had a sub-title, it would have to be something like, Springtime in Funen.

If you already know and love this Nielsen, this performance will readily take pride of place, even among outstanding precedents. If you don't know the violin concerto yet, wow are you in for a lucky, lucky, lucky day. Don't be impatient. Listen for a while. It may take Nielsen a few spins to get under your skin, and then the spins will be like a new love affair.

So back to the Bruch G minor. (Number one.)

All of the high noon light and human depth that Znaider offers us in the Nielsen are applied to the Bruch, too. If you have thought of that concerto as entirely melodic and beautiful, but not wise beyond its eternal youth and freshness, it may now start sounding as if it belonged to the same family as the eternally youthful Mendelssohn. Not just the melody, but the latent perfection of balance and form is highlighted by Znaider. He never sounds bored with the Bruch. He never takes its heart or melody for granted, while he obviously is enchanted for the time being with being tonight's most gallant escort. He treats the Bruch with such courtesy that the concerto is renewed, not a tattered or cliché note to be heard.

In these two fine efforts, the London Philharmonic and conductor Lawrence Foster keep up just fine with Znaider. There is nothing ho-hum or customary about the orchestra, which on occasion has been too facile in some of its recordings. It's not just that the notes are here, it is that all are involved, and the music is here. The recording venue was Watford, but thank goodness, not the Coliseum's awful haze in the round. Something of Znaider's poise, humor, and expert sense of ease seems to infect all the players. In both violin concertos. If this sort of thing is catching, let us have more of it, please.

So, five stars. If the record labels were as capable of musical vision as they used to be, way back in the golden ages of stereo, somebody would already have signed Znaider up for the long run. Very highly recommended.

BREATHTAKING!.......2006-04-05

This is certainly one of the greatest of Znaider's albums. It is simply breathtaking, what more can one say?

Very personal reading.......2001-11-04

A fine Nielsen. An excellent very personal reading of Bruch
by young violinist N. Znaider. Bravo!

Average customer rating:

The Best of Maxim Vengerov

Manufacturer: Warner Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000JR0DVU
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Tracks:

Beethoven- Spring Sonata
Beethoven- Kreutzer Sonata
Brahms- Violin Sonata No. 2
Brahms-Violin Concerto, op. 77
Brahms-Violin Sonata No. 3
Bruch-Violin Concerto No.1
Dvorak-Violin Concerto , op.53
Elgar-Violin Sonata in E Minor
Glazunov-Violin COncerto, op. 82
Mendelssohn: Violin Sonata in F Major
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, op. 64
Mozart-Violin Sonata in B flat major, K378
Nielsen -Violin Concerto, op. 33
Paganini-Violin Concerto No. 1
Prokofiev-Violin Concerto No. 1&2
Saint-Saens-Intro et Rondo capriccioso; Havanaise
Shostakovich-Violin Concerto No. 1&2
Sibelius-Violin Concerto, op.47
Tchaikovsky-Violin Concerto
Waxman-Carmen Fantasy

Album Description

Throughout his years at Teldec Classics, Maxim Vengerov developed the foundation for a stellar lieftime career. This collection includes recordings of nearly all the major violin works with world-class conductors.

Nielsen: Symphony No4; Vaughan Williams: Symphony No5

Average customer rating:

Nielsen: Symphony No4; Vaughan Williams: Symphony No5

Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005A9NV
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Con, Op.33: I. Praeludium: Largo - Arve Tellefsen
Con, Op.33: II. Allegro Cavallersco - Arve Tellefsen
Con, Op.33: III. Poco Adagio - Arve Tellefsen
Con, Op.33: IV. Rondo: Allegretto Scherzando - Arve Tellefsen
Sym No.4, Op.29 'The Inextinguishable': I. Allegro - Poco Allegretto - Arve Tellefsen
Sym No.4, Op.29 'The Inextinguishable': II. Poco Adagio Quasi Andante - Allegro - Arve Tellefsen

Tracks:

Sym No.5 in D: Prld: Moderato - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Sym No.5 in D: Scherzo: Presto - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Sym No.5 in D: Romanza: Lento - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Sym No.5 in D: Passacaglia: Moderato - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Con: Toccata: Allegro Moderato - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Con: Romanza: Lento - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway
Con: Fuga Chromatica Con Finale Alla Tedesca: Allegro - Ralph Markham/Kenneth Broadway

Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto & Songs; Rued Langgaard: String Quartet No. 3

Average customer rating:

Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto & Songs; Rued Langgaard: String Quartet No. 3

Manufacturer: Bridge
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004WJM5
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

Five Songs: 1. Sang bag Ploven
Five Songs: 2. Dangang Doden var i vente
Five Songs: 3. I aften
Five Songs: 4. Irmelin Rose
Five Songs: 5. Min Pige er saa lys som Rav
String Quartet No. 3 (1924): I Poco allegro rapinsoso - The Miro String Quartet
String Quartet No. 3 (1924): II Presto scherzo artifizioso - The Miro String Quartet
String Quartet No. 3 (1924): III Tranquillo - The Miro String Quartet
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra, Op. 33: I Praeludium, Largo; Allegro cavalleresco - Saeka Matsuyama, Violin
Concerto For Violin And Orchestra, Op. 33: II Poco adagio; Rondo, Allegretto scherzando - Saeka Matsuyama, Violin

Album Description

In 1999, the government of Denmark sponsored a festival of Danish arts in New York City. The culminating event of this festival was the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition, which included attendance by Her Majesty, Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark. This disc features Silver Medalist Saeka Matsuyama's electrifying competition performance of Carl Nielsen's Violin Concerto, accompanied by Denmark's Odense Symphony Orchestra. Matsuyama's performance of the Nielsen Concerto also earned the 18-year old violinist the Odense Symphony Orchestra's Special Prize. Opening this celebratory disc is a stunning performance by the Miro String Quartet of Rued Langgaard's remarkable String Quartet No. 3. Considered to be among Langgaard;s finest compositions, the Miro Quartet gives a reading that had American and Danish critics reaching for superlatives. Rounding out this CD is a selection of songs by Carl Nielsen. Sung by the Danish baritone, Lars Thodberg Bertelsen, this group features some of Nielsen's most popular songs, including Irmelin Rose.