Search - Nielsen, Oland :: Nielsen: Complete Works for Solo Piano

Fascinating Neglected Work of a Danish Master

Young Composer | Provo, UT USA | 11/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When you think of Carl Nielsen, chances are, if you know anything about him at all, you will think of his outstanding set of six symphonies. Those perhaps a bit more familiar with his output will know his three wonderful concertos for Violin, Flute, and Clarinet. Interest in the rest of his works has ebbed and flowed but never taken hold outside of his home country of Denmark. Meanwhile, there he is a national icon; some of his vocal music has earned a remarkable degree of ubiquity.



As a rare devotee of Nielsen's music here in the USA I am always a bit perplexed at this; here is a composer of the highest caliber in almost every field of endeavor, so why is he not better known and appreciated? Perhaps one problem is evident in this set of his piano music -- stylistically he was a bit of a chameleon. Within a brief period of time he could go from writing the congenial, simple to play but endlessly interesting Piano Music for Young and Old op. 53 to writing the harsh, dissonant, and occasionally atonal Three Piano Pieces op. 59. All of his music fits comfortably under the large umbrella of his general aesthetic philosophy, but one needs to become quite familiar with his music to start to see those common threads of his artistic identity.



The pieces on these two disks represent just about the entirety of his works for solo piano; they show the incredible variety of his music, ranging from the innocent & unpretentious Five Piano Pieces and Humoresque Bagatelles, the early and ambitious Symphonic Suite, the equally symphonic Chaconne & Theme and Variations, on to his intellectually demanding and highly inventive Suite op. 45 and 3 Pieces op. 59. The set also includes his Piano Music for Young and Old, a brilliant set, especially considering each piece was written for a tiny range of notes, a brief contemplation of the song "Silent Night," and a Festival Prelude written for the start of the 20th century.



In these pieces we hear the sound of a composer anxious to find a new voice after the collapse of romanticism; his constant explorations are more deliberate than many of his more experimental colleagues, but the results are highly satisfying. His voice is unique, lucid, and unsentimental. The piano was not his primary instrument, and as a result he has no particular attachment to 19th century performance common practice; the outcome is an idiosyncratic approach to keyboard writing that found its culmination later in his final masterwork, the Commotio for Organ.



Oland's playing matches Nielsen's intentions excellently; her approach is direct and clear, sharing the distaste for overwrought romantic sentiment held by the composer, but not without warmth. Some of his pieces, particularly the Symphonic Suite, require a careful approach to prevent the heavy, dense writing from obscuring the sound, and Oland matches this difficulty and makes it sound effortless while bringing equal clarity to the more thin areas. These disks represent an excellent opportunity to become more familiar with one of the 20th century's most capable and underrated masters."