Search - Carl Nielsen, Theodore Kuchar, Janácek Philharmonic Orchestra :: Nielsen: Symphonies (Complete)

Lean, Muscular Nielsen by Kuchar & Janacek PO-Fire, Drama, C

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 04/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brilliant Classics is a great label that has been bringing us worthwhile recordings for a while now. They mix re-issues of performances that originally appeared on other labels, with new recording projects all their own. I have especially appreciated the Mozart and other performances of Klara Wurtz, and of course the complete Mozart piano concertos in super-audio surround sound with Derek Han, the Philhamonia of London, and Paul Freeman conducting.



Now, in a new recording project, Brilliant offers us the six Carl Nielsen symphonies. To cut to the chase, this set immediately goes to my keeper shelf, along with both cycles by Herbert Blomstedt (with a slight preference for his San Francisco Symphony cycle on Universal Classics), the Paavo Berglund set that used to be released on RCA/BMG Classics, and the much older but still wonderful complete set by the London Symphony with Ole Schmidt (whom I thankfully heard also in live concert doing Tchaikovsky, once long ago).



The Janacek Philharmonic of Ostrava, Czech Republic, is an iteration of a former radio orchestra. They have built something of a sterling reputation for modern music, played at European festivals. Their new conductor is, guess who? Theodore Kuchar, leading here.



The Janacek PO sound is quite solid, lean, muscular and well-balanced. Listen closely and you will not hear them struggling in any of the orchestral sections. You can access their home web site, at: [...] Once there, you can click on Czech, German, or English text translations. The booklet actually doesn't say where these symphonies were recorded, but perhaps it is logical to suppose that we are hearing the band in their home hall in Ostrava. If so, that venue is quite well balanced, even and clear across all frequency spectrums, and offering a nice combination of direct and reflected hall sound. Thanks to the engineers who captured all this, too.



The orchestra reportedly employs 116 players, so there is nothing weak or anemic about them. Their strings sing out, full and clear and assertive, or delicate, as needed. Brass and woodwinds have presence, cutting through the air or blending in as the music dictates. It is nice to be reminded how muscular, alive, and vital Nielsen's scoring is. No string group seems lacking, from the low string bases, to the cellos, to the violas, to the second or first violins. The overall tonal center is just a tad more mellow or middle European, with just a tad more depth and resonance center to the notes, than we would typically expect from, say, a good USA regional orchestra or a radio orchestra or even a very good youth orchestra. There is edge and bright fire in the strings and other departments, but also a rosiny and burnished, taffy-colored center. You wouldn't be surprised if this Czech orchestra were discovered to be fourth cousins of the venerated Vienna Philharmonic, playing in the Sofensaal.



Theodore Kuchar studied at the Cleveland Institute, and did assistantships there and at Tanglewood. He obviously learned more than just his viola chops, since most recently he has led the underdog National Symphony of the Ukraine to sterling heights, displayed on their stunning surround sound SACD of the Mussorgsky-Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition on Naxos.



Kuchar really seems to have dug deeply into all six Nielsen symphonies. Nothing seems superficial, or perfunctory. He also seems to love the sometimes quirky, whimsical sides of Carl Nielsen, as well as the committed humanist who watched as wars threatened to end global civilization in the 20th century. These performances have no lack of fire or drama, and Nielsen's lyricism is always played, whole. Fire, declamation, passing bardic Scandinavian story-telling, melancholy lament, springtime-fresh air, starry-night-sky wonder - all is aptly characterized here, with a continuing touch of the aching Northern Lights solitude that helped give rise to Kierkegaard's sense of human separation and existentialist urgency. In his own way, Carl Nielsen seems quite aware that, Not to decide is to decide. This would be too painful to bear, except for Nielsen's great, warm humanism and heart.



The orchestra is with Kuchar, completely. The conductor is not threatening the players, or manipulating them cleverly, to get them to rise to their best. If anything, everybody here seems involved in a welcome challenge to a great success of abundant musical affection.



A happy touch is that the three CD's in this set simply offer the symphonies in sequential order, and you can just go right through if you wish. The sixth symphony, which is sometimes included as a stepchild of the genius written into the other five, is here included as a equal. It may have set a new direction for the composer, but he was no less in command of his powers, as this performance clearly reveals to us. One would really like to hear these forces do the violin concerto, no doubt about it.



If possible from the master tapes, this would be a good candidate for super-audio release, either in stereo or surround. If you are a student or otherwise on a budget, the pricing on this set means that you do not have to compromise the high musical qualities on offer, just to afford the purchase.



Fear not. Highly recommended"

First-Rate Performances of Nielsen's Symphonies by a Second-

goodmusicman | USA | 03/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 3-CD set containing all six symphonies by Danish composer Carl Nielsen, undoubtedly one of the greatest symphonists of the twentieth century, is a worthy investment for those on a budget. Theodore Kuchar conducts the Janacek Philharmonic in very exciting, idiomatic performances. The one drawback is that this orchestra, despite its apparently large size, does not play at the level of polish that is achieved by better orchestras, such as the San Francisco Symphony or the Danish National RSO, which have recorded these symphonies. So the finale of the Third Symphony sounds like something is not quite right, the opening and closing movements of the Fourth do not have quite the same impact as other performances, the triumphant theme in the second half of the first movement of the Fifth Symphony--perhaps one of the most powerful symphonic statements of all time--sounds distinctly underwhelming here, among other caveats throughout this set.



On the other hand, symphonies nos. 1, 2, and 6 come off the best here. The Second in particular benefits from a brisk, no-nonsense tempo that gets the work off the ground, never letting go of the listener. The Sixth, which can sound strange in some hands, here sounds simply like Nielsen was offering his final statement in the symphonic form, due to Kuchar's refusal to tamper with the score. Even the Fifth, which is lacking in the first movement, benefits from a very strong second half due to Kuchar's slower-than-usual tempos, and his persistence in delivering every last note with a power that succeeds in persuading the listener that Nielsen did not run out of ideas after the brilliance of the first half of the symphony. Kuchar's youthful and exciting approach also makes the First Symphony very memorable and tuneful.



The sound quality is good, but not consistent; it sounds boomy at times, while at others it sounds very big and bold. So for those who don't mind spending twice as much as this set costs, Blomstedt's account with the San Fransisco SO is more easily recommendable, as those performances are very polished and exciting. Kuchar is very exciting, but not always so polished. Ultimately, your decision may be guided by fiscal considerations as much as musical ones. In any case, Kuchar delivers much that is worth hearing, especially for Nielsen fans."