Post Description

Nielsen's music is highly individual in both content and construction, although only the symphonies and the three concertos (violin, flute, and clarinet) have earned places in the repertory outside Denmark (where many of his choral pieces have become part of the national heritage). Each of the three concertos is a worthy contribution to its instrument's literature, though perhaps the Clarinet Concerto deserves the most attention. While starting out from the perspective of Classical form and harmony, his music later developed into an "extended" tonal and even atonal language, born of his highly expressive melodic style. 
Carl Nielsen wrote three concertos and they are all here on this one disc, totalling almost eighty minutes. Playing live the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra often pulls off world-class performances, as this disc amply demonstrates. This is even more so than usual as all the soloists are or have been players with this orchestra. Kees Bakels, the conductor, is to be congratulated on bringing alive these technically demanding concertos with the verve and vigour that Nielsen's character transformed into his music. There is excitement, there is joy, there is comedy and there is pathos here, but all is resolved by Nielsen's wonderful good-nature. One leaves off listening to these performancing feeling glad to be alive.