The symphonies

"Vurdering: Presto disc of the week" - "The relatively little-known First Symphony is in many ways quite Brahmsian, though already shows foretastes of Nielsen's bold, progressive style. Järvi's musicians respond sensitively to the soaring tutti phrases of the opening, and his wind principals start as they mean to go on with several flawlessly-executed solo passages ... I can't think of a better navigator than Paavo Järvi to guide the ear through Nielsen's changing symphonic languages".

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"I had a wonderful time listening to these superb performances, and felt the deepest admiration for conductor and orchestra ... I would find it quite impossible to rank it, to place it above such and such a set, and below another. This music is so complex, so very extraordinary that one could never achieve sincere agreement on the best set from the many fine ones now available. All I can say is that this one is a major contender, and does full justice to this magnificent symphonist".

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"Throughout this Nielsen cycle the excellent woodwind section is a match for the finest and much the same goes for the brilliantly played brass. As for the gloriously full-bodied unified strings they are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. From start to finish Storgårds, with steely assurance, reliable pulse, and bold determination, demonstrates his particular affinity for these immediate and dramatic scores. In constantly impressive performances this captivating Nielsen set is a triumph for conductor and orchestra".

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"Vurdering: Recording of the month" - "For me this set was brilliantly played, expertly shaped and recorded in exhilarating sound: in short, a revelation ... This isn't just an anniversary plod through Nielsen: it's a proper exploration, so join the explorers and prepare to be challenged".

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"Vurdering: Presto disc of the week" - "I have to admit that this sequence of concerti has, quite by accident, saved what I think is the best for last. The combination of Nielsen's characterful writing and Anthony McGill's mellifluous playing gives the Clarinet Concerto a unique charm - the instrument's full range is explored and McGill's tone is marvellously liquid throughout ... Higly recommended".

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"New York'erne og chefdirigent Alan Gilbert har afsluttet deres store projekt med alle symfonierne og de tre koncerter ... samlet på fire cd'er, og det er naturligvis billigst, hvis man vil have hele herligheden ... Der er grund til at være lykkelig for, at et førende amerikansk symfoniorkester indspiller så stærk en pakke med danske Carls symfoniske musik ... Og så viser chefdirigent Alan Gilbert tilmed så stærk en forståelse for Carl Nielsens musik".

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"These performances, recorded in Copenhagen's Koncertsalen, are thrilling enough to turn you into a Nielsen addict (he has never quite had the attention he deserves), performed by the Danes and Luisi with zest, wit and restless freedom".

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"Carl Nielsens seks symfonier foreligger i indspilninger fra 1965 til 2022. De fleste live, hver symfoni sin dirigent (...) Det er faktisk en usædvanlig kompilation, for på nær Thomas Søndergård er der tale om udenlandske dirigenters tolkninger af disse milepæle i dansk orkestermusik ... Jubilæumsboksen bidrager dermed til at belyse Carl Nielsen som en stor europæisk komponist".

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"Intet andet orkester har tilnærmelsesvis samme historiske bånd til Carl Nielsen og hans musik end Det Kongelige Kapel. I hælene på DR Symfoniorkestrets prisbelønnede udgivelse af komponistens seks symfonier kommer dette meget anderledes bokssæt med de samme værker, men under seks forskellige dirigenter i optagelser, der spænder over seks årtier fra 1965 til 2022. Kun to af opførelserne har tidligere været udgivet [Leonard Bernstein (Nr. 3) og Paavo Berglund (Nr. 6)] ... På øverste hylde ... finder man Sir Simon Rattles opførelse af 'Det uudslukkelige' fra hans Sonningpris-koncert i 2013 ... Det hele kommer i en lækker jubilæumsboks ... En fin måde at fejre 575 år med jordens ældste orkester".

"Naxos ... has had the brilliant idea of ... featuring the orchestra that knows Nielsen's music best ... with six principal or guest conductors from 1965 to the present. My arms have become even fuller, my grip even tighter. Irrespective of the quality of performances, the documentary value of the set is high ... It was Bernstein's incandescent CBS recording of the Fifth Symphony that put Nielsen on the international map ... Most startling, to me, is Rattle's electrifying account of 'The Inextinguishable' ... In sum, then, this is an issue as attractive, as it is instructive. No individual set can possibly say everything there is to say about Nielsen. But to experience this one ... is to fall in love with the symphonies all over again".

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".

"There's some fascinating revealing of unlikely counterpoints in the Second Symphony ... His big-boned Sixth Symphony makes the most of all those frantic interruptions and is more poker-faced than Laurel and Hardy ... But there is some fine Nielsen-playing here, even if that last dose of authenticity so vital to this insistent, singular music can evade Järvi and his orchestra on occasion".

"The Espansiva manner of Storgårds's approach begins long before the Third Symphony and starts as it means to go on with the First. It isn't slow but it is solid, even a little deliberate - bracing in a big-boned way ... The star turns are undoubtedly the Fourth and Fifth symphonies. The seismic energy of The Inextinguishable is brilliantly conveyed in really taut playing from the BBC Philharmonic".

"Anyone wanting thoroughly idiomatic performances of Nielsen's symphonies in one convenient bargain box need look no further. Schønwandt's profound understanding of Nielsen yields rich musical rewards - the ebb and flow of the music feels utterly natural and the climactic moments of the great middle symphonies are realized with glowing splendour ... This is a deeply satisfying release, all in magnificent sound; the dvd performances are unobtrusively filmed".