Symphonies Nos. 1 and 6 Sinfonia semplice

"Originally released on Dacapo, this was the final installment of Michael Schonwandt's excellent complete Nielsen cycle (reviewed by colleague David Hurwitz, type Q2744 in Search Reviews). The performances are outstanding for their vibrancy and warmth--qualities you would expect in No. 1, but are equally present in the somewhat more acerbic No. 6. True, there's more virtuoso orchestral playing (particularly in No. 6's finale) to be heard from the San Francisco Symphony under a more driven Herbert Blomstedt, but the Danish National Radio Symphony players provide an unforced naturalness that is quite ingratiating. The recording itself has similar qualities--the orchestra placed comfortably in a spacious acoustic with wide dynamic range. These are just the sorts of performances that debunk the notion, most recently voiced by the New York Times, that "Nielsen is a nice composer: a little north of good, considerably south of great". An important release, made even more attractive by the Naxos price."
- 10/10 ClassicsToday

The most important Danish composer of the first part of the twentieth century, Carl Nielsen was prolific in almost all genres. Dissociating himself strongly from Late Romanticism, Nielsen orientated himself increasingly towards the new currents in European music without at any time abandoning his very personal and idiosyncratic style. The Six Symphonies, which become increasingly adventurous as the cycle progresses, are essentially tonal, emotionally direct works, which alternate long lines of melody with passages of blazing energy. The exuberant Symphony No. 1 is here coupled with the enigmatic Symphony No. 6, which has been described as "music of clear sunlight and sudden shadows".