CARL NIELSEN
Orchestral Music
Carl Nielsen, composer

Danish National Symphony Orchestra / DR
Thomas Dausgaard, conductor

About
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) is world famous for his six symphonies and his two operas Saul and David and Maskerade. In addition he wrote programme music and incidental music for the theatre, thereby creating some of his most popular works. This release features some of his finest pieces for orchestra, displaying the composer’s sharp sense of the refined, playful and humorous.

Reviews
CD OF THE MONTH (Gramophone)

CD OF THE MONTH (Classics Today)

BBC Music CHOICE (BBC Music Magazine)

Limelight Award Nominee 2007 (Limelight Magazine, Australia)

It comes about as close to the ideal as I ever hope to hear, and it eclipses almost all others in its field. Dacapo’s recording quality is top-drawer. (Gramophone)

Thomas Dausgaard conducts all these works with tremendous gusto, balanced by a fine ear for unusual, suggestive textures.
(BBC Music Magazine - BBC music CHOICE)

This is without doubt the finest collection of Nielsen's short orchestral works currently available. It is perfectly played, brilliantly conducted, and superbly recorded in stereo and SACD formats. You won't hear a more ebullient performance of the Maskerade Overture anywhere.
10/10 (Classics Today)

Thomas Dausgaard conducts with style and spirit and the orchestra is first class. For lovers of finely written orchestral music, this disc is a must. (* * * * * Limelight, Australia)

This enjoyable disc raids Nielsen’s theatre and opera music, from the Snefrid suite of the 1890s to Cupid and the Poet (1930). Whatever the period it’s easy to spot Nielsen’s quirky fingerprints - the harmonic progressions, the pedal points, the collision of austerity and knees-up. Authoritative performances from Dausgaard’s Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
***
(The Times)

Partout, Dausgaard et son orchestre rendent justice à ces couleurs, à cette énergie foncière et, surtout, aux climats de cette musique admirable ... Un disque d'utilité publique, vous disais-je!
(Classics Today France)

Ein Meilenstein der Nielsen-Diskographie, eine wirklich hörenswerte Platte.
(EMPFOHLEN - Klassik.com)

Operaforspil, ouverturer og anden programmusik, danner rammen om 70 minutters musikalsk velvære. Nielsen, når han er allerbedst.
(Musikeren, 03/2007)

Lyden er fortrinlig, og orkesterspillet er, næsten demonstrativt, på tæerne. Nielsen i nutidig lyd og tolkning.
(***** Århus Stifttidende)

Dies ist eine unschätzbar wertvolle Bereicherung der Nielsen-Diskographie. Thomas Dausgaard leitet durchweg elektrisierende Interpretationen einiger der kürzeren Orchesterstücke desdänischen Sinfonikers.... Kurz gesagt, besser geht es nicht.
(***** Thomas Schulz, APPLAUS)

Det er både berigende og bevægende, og det bliver ikke ringere af, at det hele gives med en sylespidst veloplagt Thomas Dausgaard i spidsen for DR Radiosymfoniorkestret i fineste form.
(***** Berlingske Tidende)

Dausgaards Zugriff und das hervorragende Spiel des Orchesters bieten in jedem Moment Dynamik und Spielfreude pur. Und die erstklassige SACD-Aufnahme macht dieses dänische Nielsen-Potpourri zudem noch zu einem akustischen Vergnügen
(***** Pizzicato)

A recording of rarely-played orchestral works by Carl Nielsen...is this week's newcomer to Billboard magazine's classical album chart.
Read more (Playbillarts.com)

The surround sonics are clean and precise, with a good feeling of the hall ... The dynamic range is huge!
( * * * Audiophile Audition)

En cd alle må og skal have! Thomas Dausgaard bliver meget snart et verdensnavn
(High Fidelity)

Credits
Recorded in the Danish Radio Concert Hall on 15-16 May 2006 1 & 10 and 28-30 August
and 1 September 2006
Recording producers: Preben Iwan 1 & 10 and Chris Hazell
Editing: Preben Iwan, Chris Hazell and Jan Oldrup
Balance engineer: Jan Oldrup
Mastering: Preben Iwan and Jan Oldrup
Artistic director and general manager, DNSO & Choirs / DR: Per Erik Veng

Graphic design: Elevator
Publisher: Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS, www.ewh.dk

The musical material from the Carl Nielsen Edition was used for this production

This SACD has been made in cooperation with the Danish Broadcasting Cooperation