Sir Colin Davis and the
London Symphony Orchestra recorded
Carl Nielsen's six symphonies at London's Barbican between 2009 and 2011, and released them in pairs on the orchestra's audiophile label,
LSO Live. This trimline box set presents those hybrid SACDs, along with a Blu-Ray audio disc of all six performances together, a true convenience for collectors who have the appropriate equipment. Yet however one hears these symphonies, the recordings offer exceptional clarity and depth, and all the details of these complicated works are perfectly audible.
Nielsen's music is noted for its powerful drive, dramatic conflicts, and idiosyncratic use of folk-inspired melodies, and more than any other genre he touched, the symphonies give a clear sense of his progress as a composer.
Davis' readings are coherent and reliable, striking a balance between
Nielsen's natural lyricism and his aggressive rhythms, and while these rigorous, unsentimental interpretations may strike some listeners as a bit cool, they are far from clinical. This is an important cycle that
Davis' many admirers will want to own.