Carl Nielsen wrote a number of miscellaneous pieces that are often used as fillers among his symphony recordings, but rarely gathered together in one place. Even when such an attempt is made, the quantity precludes the offering being limited to one disc. Even so, it is nice to have these occasional attempts made, for the music is generally wonderful and makes for an ingratiating hour’s worth of listening, or in this case, a full 80 minutes. Maskarade opens this concert, it being Nielsen’s most popular non-symphonic work, and all of the other pieces here are part and parcel of other collections—there is nothing really new.
But a couple of things should be mentioned. Despite the fact that the incidental music from Aladdin is often recorded, conductor Lance Freidel includes the chorus from movements five and six, ‘The Marketplace at Ispahan’ and ‘Negroes Dance’. The suite is not often heard with the original forces present, and it is very nice to have it here. Also, the Bohemian-Danish Folk Tune is a comparative rarity and fully worthwhile of more frequent recording activity.
The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, though a provincial ensemble, plays with a powerhouse sound and some beautifully executed string work. Though there are a few places where the ensemble seems a touch off-kilter, they are completely professional and superbly attuned to their native idiom.
There is a Naxos release with a similar program (557164) that also sports good sound and execution, but with about 13 minutes less total time, and minus the chorus in Aladdin. And the best still remains the Rozhdestvensky on Chandos (9287); a wonderful program in sparkling sound. But this is not to detract from the present release, which is guaranteed to give any purchaser much pleasure.
— Steven Ritter
