Search - Niels Gade, Chrsitopher Hogwood, Danish National National Orchestra :: Niels Gade: Symphonies 3 & 6 / Overture

A Forgotten Master--Mendelssohn's Heir

Micromegas | Ada, OK | 06/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years, Gade was simply a footnote for me, and the name of one of Grieg's Lyric Pieces. Danish music meant Carl Neisen. Was there room in the country for another great composer?



Yes, I was an ignorant fool. Gade is an amazing composer, a true master in his own right, though he is definitely a follower of Mendelssohn and Schumann, though particularly the former. As I am slowly working through his symphonies, I am amazed by the incredible range and sheer sumptuousness of his music. I started with this disc, and I can think of no better place to start, particularly as it begins with his monumental Opus 1, Echoes of Ossian. What an overture! It conjures up something of the world of The Hebrides and Ruy Blas, though it has a distincly Scandinavian atmosphere (and accent?). Rhapsodic and driving in turns, it is a truly astounding piece for a yound man to write--a gauntlet through to the small minds of musical authority in his native country (who disapproved of his First Symphony, finding it too German).



His Third Symphony is a gentler, and perhaps less obviously "Danish" or "Scandinavian" work, and yet, it is very distinct from the kind of works Mendelssohn and Schumann were writing. The music is warm, rich, yet supple; it seems to bounce and glow, never too ardent in its romanticism, but certainly not cold and mannered. I particularly love the opening movement, which opens like a symphony of Mendelssohn (a bit like the Scottish, though the last movement), and continues to tread its own, unique course.



The true masterpiece for me, however, is the Sixth Symphony. This is a very unique work, truly the music of a man who had found his own path between the steps of giants. A haunting opening movement--yet dramatic as well--leads to a beautiful, gentle slow movement, and athletic scherzo, and one of the most exciting finales of the period. It's constantly bouncing between darkness and light, and the orchestration is magnificent. I feel so lucky to have found this work--and feel profoundly thankful to live in the age of CDs, where such music can be performed at a whim in my CD player. Now if only we could get Gade back into the concert hall..."