I make it seven complete Nielsen symphony cycles currently available, assuming RCA are going to restore Berglund's Second and Fifth (withdrawn soon after issue in 1989 because of an editing fault). Two of these are shared between two conductors (the BIS set under review and the four-disc mid-price CD Sony Classical with Ormandy and Bernstein listed as a comparison). And word is out of two more sets in the pipeline—from DG and Kontrapunkt. That should give us more than enough to choose from.
There is much to be said for the BIS package. Myung-Whun Chung is a sympathetic and intelligent Nielsenite and the Gothenburgers have generations of experience, dating back to Nielsen's own frequent appearances as guest conductor in the 1910s and 1920s. The recordings capture admirably the warmth and natural perspectives of their splendid concert-hall. Chung's Espansiva is one of the finest ever on disc, and the three concertos (see also review above) are also first-rate. Of the other symphonies No. 1 is affectionate almost to a fault, No. 2 is let down by unduly protracted middle movements and No. 5 feels rather circumspect.
Now that Chung presumably has his hands full in Paris, Neeme Jarvi has stepped in to complete the cycle, and by and large he maintains the high standard (this disc is also available separately). His Inextinguishable lacks nothing in fire or impulse, except perhaps for a rather slack first movement development section, and he and the Gothenburg orchestra keep an admirable grip on the complex surfaces of the Sinfonia semplice. What I miss, especially by comparison with Ole Schmidt in his Unicorn-Kanchana recordings, is a sense of what is latent in these scores—the power of No. 4 even when the surface is lyrical; the way the first movement of No. 6 repeatedly loses confidence in itself. The problem with the Schmidt set, it has to be said, as with the Ormandy/Bernstein, is indifferent recording and inconsistent quality of playing. All in all I would strongly recommend shopping around.
For the highest standards of recording and playing, Blomstedt's three Decca CDs are the natural choice, and his interpretations of Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 6 are extremely fine. But for No. 5 Bernstein is an essential supplement. To some tastes it is an overdriven performance and an aggressively balanced recording; to mine it has charisma and a sense of discovery without ever violating the spirit of the music (Nielsen, it should be remembered, was happy to let great conductors follow their instincts in his music—including Furtwangler in this very work). The Espansiva on the same disc is scarcely less fine, though the last movement really is outside the limits of idiomatic characterization. If I stress that this disc shows Bernstein at something close to his greatest, can I equally stress that the one containing Symphonies Nos. 2 and 4 is to be avoided at all costs? Here the performances are technically ill-prepared and too often unconvincingly paced.
The Sony concertos disc is well worth considering, not least for the excellently uncouth contribution of the New York Philharmonic trombonist to the Flute Concerto—exactly the foil the flute needs and so rarely gets. Baker and Drucker are supremely competent soloists, though others (not least Gallois and Schill on BIS) have brought greater subtlety and refinement to these wonderful explorations of musical character. Bernstein's contribution to all three works is superb, and the streetwise energy he brings to the Hindemith goes well with Stern's bustling account of the solo part. A somewhat abrasive recording and close-miked soloists are well worth tolerating.'