Date of purchase: November 2017.
First listen: 21--11-2017.
Label: Dacapo.
Recording dates: September 2010 & February 2011.
Venue: Symphonic Hall, Musikhuset, Aarhus, Danmark.
Sound engineer: Claus Byrith.
Time: 64:52.
Works on this disc:
Overture for Erasmus Montanus, opus 1, Danish pictures No. 1.
Jack the Dullard, opus 18, No. 2.
Carnival, opus 20, No. 3.
Comedy opus 21, No. 4.
Symphony No. 1, opus 8.
Performed by:
Aarhus SO, Bo Holten.
I find all the reasons to love this composer in the works on this disc. The Danish pictures are gorgeous. The projections of these images into music is brilliantly done. I like the clusters of sound he builds up in the strings and brass in ascending steps. And the modernity in the music is invigorating and thrilling. The rhythmical muscular and haunting melodies are a treat. It has all the capacity for introspection and reflects the variety in Danish music. The Symphony is a small miracle too. It has a rustic jollity with its elegant chromatisms and frolicking variations. The melodic and harmonious invention lets you hear a range of expression, neatly crafted and expertly written. The expressive potential is wide and deep. He is a master of rhythm. And a combination of tenderness and exuberance, let's not forget that. The performance is first rate, as is the recording.
