It is good to see the continuing revival of interests in the Nielsen symphonies. There are two cycles in progress in Sweden, one under the charismatic young Finnish conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen in Stockholm (CBS) and another in Gothenburg under the Korean-born Myung-Whun Chung, (BIS), while Paavo Berglund has only recently embarked on another in Copenhagen (RCA). Now, it would seem, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra are to join them under their newly-appointed Swedish Music Director, Herbert Blomstedt.
Blomstedt recorded Nielsen's complete orches tral works with the Danish Radio orchestra in the mid 1970s on an eight-LP set (EMI SLS5027, 10/75—nla) so he is no stranger to this repertoire. But his records of Strauss's Ein Heldenleben and Bruckner's Fourth and Seventh with the Staatskapelle, Dresden (all. on Denon) show him to have grown in depth and stature. I can recall his debut in Stockholm in the mid- 1 950s when he conducted. a very well prepared if rather cool account of Hin demith's Mathis symphony! The earlier Nielsen performances were eminently well-shaped: looking back, I see I thought his reading of the Inextinguithable ''did not fall short of Grondahl's pioneering set in terms of brilliance and freshness though its explosive fibres burn less intensely'' (I blush for the self-conscious prose—explosive fibres indeed!). I see that at that time I thought his Fifth eminently respectable though Ole Schmidt had ''great spirit and imagination''. Naturally I was eager to discover how the newcomer compared.
Well, both are good performances that can hold their own with any in the present catalogue, and as recordings they are better. Berglund's spirited No. 4 was for me rather let down by the headlong coda, which left his players struggling to keep up with him, though it is free from the self-conscious touches which I noted in Salonen's version. I must say that I am always glad to be without the disruptive hiatus Karajan (DG) made at fig. 61, and which Salonen apes. Blomstedt's opening has splendid fire: this must sound as if galaxies are forming, in tempo and character it is close to the inspiring 1952 Jensen broadcast on a Danacord LP and to Grondahl's LP. Generally speaking Blomstedt is less circumspect than he was in his earlier set and less frightened of letting things rip. You may remember the composer's oft-quoted simile concerning the soaring string lines in the slow movement (''like the eagle riding on the wind''). Simon Rattle (EMI) is tremendously intense, almost pesante here, and does not follow the change of metronome marking between the opening (crotchet = 52–56) and at fig. 32 (crotchet = 68) to such striking effect. Blomstedt conveys Nielsen's image most strikingly and there is much in this movement that is sensitive and atmospheric. The finale is exhilarating yet held on a firm rein.
Blomstedt's Fifth Symphony, too, is impressive: it starts perfectly and is almost as icy in atmosphere as Jensen (Decca LP) or Tuxen (EMI LP), and the climax is well handled. The desolate clarinet peroration comes offmost successfully too. He brings one closer to the music than he did in his 1975 recording and I prefer his finale to Chung (both the fugal episodes come off better) and to Salonen who broadens the closing bars to the point of bombast (forgivable youthful impetuosity no doubt but tiresome on repetition). Nielsen's Fifth is probably better than it can be played but this new account is certainly among the finest now on the market. Ole Schmidt's performances (Unicorn-Kanchana) of both symphonies still strike me as having something special to say even if neither the orchestral playing nor the recording is the equal of the newcomer.
Blomstedt's recording balance could not be improved upon: the woodwind are decently recessed (though clarinet keys are audible at times) and there is an almost ideal relationship between the various orchestra sections as well as a thoroughly realistic overall perspective. He obviously has a good rapport with the orchestra, who sound in excellent shape and respond to these scores as to the manner born. I hope he is introducing his fellow musicians to the Stenhammar and Berwald symphonies and that he will persuade Decca to give us a new version of Hilding Rosenberg's Third and better still what would be a premiere recording of Hortulanus, his Fifth (and to my mind greatest) symphony.'