(++++) SYMPHONIES REIMAGINED

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 1-6; Clarinet Concerto; Overture to “Maskarade.” The Royal Danish Orchestra conducted by Thomas Søndergård, Alexander Vedernikov, Leonard Bernstein, Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Boder, Paavo Berglund, and Michael Schønwandt. Naxos. $59.99 (4 CDs).

Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 99-101. Danish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. Naxos. $19.99.

     A superb tribute to the world’s oldest orchestra that not coincidentally highlights the exceptional interpretative abilities of seven conductors, the new Naxos cycle of Nielsen’s symphonies offers an unusual “ship of Theseus” opportunity to hear ways in which the Royal Danish Orchestra has and has not changed between 1965 and 2022 – the dates of these performances. “Ship of Theseus” is a longstanding thought problem that asks, if the original ship of Theseus is replaced bit by bit as its parts deteriorate – so there comes a time when not a single original plank or fitting remains – is it still the ship of Theseus? The philosophical arguments about this can be abstruse, but the reality is that every long-lasting orchestra is a ship of Theseus, since the members and their instruments are replaced over time until not a single one of the originals remains. This is, if anything, truer of the Royal Danish Orchestra than of others, since the ensemble traces its roots to 1448. It does have some continuity, although not since that distant date, since it maintains and utilizes some hundreds-of-years-old instruments, including violins by Amati, Guarneri and Stradivarius. But the fact remains that the Royal Danish Orchestra of 1965 is not the Royal Danish Orchestra of 2022 – although, in certain intriguingly philosophical as well as musical ways, it is. That is because the orchestra retains and cultivates a certain sound all its own, a certain handling of sectional balance and performance practices within sections that is passed along from member to member as the specific composition of the orchestra changes through the years. The highly intriguing result is quite apparent in this release: this ensemble has a carefully developed and quite recognizable sound, unlike the more-homogenized sound of other first-rate orchestras around the world.

     Leonard Bernstein knew that the Royal Danish Orchestra had much to show and teach him when he arrived in Denmark in 1965 to lead the ensemble in Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 (“Sinfonia Espansiva”): he famously insisted that he needed to learn from the orchestra how to play Nielsen, who was among the group’s second violinists for 16 years, and what the resulting sound should be. And then Bernstein just as famously (and typically for him) made the performance his own, not hesitating to put his own stamp on the music by, for example, speeding up the symphony’s very end even though the composer did not call for this. Bernstein’s performance, which includes the wordless voices of soprano Ruth Guldbæk and tenor Niels Møller in the second movement, remains a touchstone for this symphony, and its inclusion in this set is most welcome. But the other readings here do not take a back seat to it. All but Bernstein’s and that of Symphony No. 6 are live recordings, and the conductors’ substantial if differing flair for concert performance comes through everywhere. Symphony No. 1 gets a fine blend of Sturm und Drang and lyricism under Thomas Søndergård in a performance from 2022. No. 2 (“The Four Temperaments”) features finely honed differentiation among the four movements in a 2020 reading led by Alexander Vedernikov (although the uncalled-for speedup at the end is even more intrusive than Bernstein’s in Symphony No. 3). No. 4 (“The Inextinguishable”) unleashes tremendous drama, nicely leavened with well-thought-out lyrical moments, in a 2013 performance conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. No. 5 is played to the hilt in a vividly compelling 2015 reading led by Michael Boder. And No. 6 (“Sinfonia semplice”), a 1989 studio recording conducted by Paavo Berglund, is filled with wit and witticism and oddities galore, just as Nielsen intended. The symphonies fit on three discs, with the fourth CD in this set designated as a bonus – and quite a bonus it is, including the Clarinet Concerto with soloist John Kruse, conducted by Vedernikov and recorded live at the same concert where Vedernikov’s reading of Symphony No. 2 was heard. Then, at the very end of the last CD, for an all-too-brief encore, there is a live recording from 2006 of Michael Schønwandt conducting the ebullient overture to Maskarade – generally a crowd pleaser wherever and whenever it is heard, but offered here with an odd and underwhelming fade-out ending. To be sure, this fascinating multi-disc release is not necessarily the “best” recording of the symphonies – for one thing, a cycle featuring a single conductor may be a good deal more revelatory than one featuring a single orchestra, and such conductor-focused sequences are available featuring Schønwandt (whose four-minute contribution here is distinctly minimal) as well as Sakari Oramo, Herbert Blomstedt, Sir Colin Davis and other notable conductors. But all the performances in this set contain worthwhile elements aplenty, and collectively they serve to demonstrate not only the many fascinations of all the Nielsen symphonies but also the tremendous performance capabilities that the Royal Danish Orchestra has retained and refined through the years, decades, and, yes, centuries.

     A smaller Danish ensemble of more-recent provenance, the Danish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1939 and is currently going through its own reconsideration and re-evaluation on Naxos. This, however, is primarily a focus not on the musicians but on Haydn, whose symphonies Adam Fischer has conducted for decades and even assembled at one point into a complete set. Fischer continues to think about the symphonies and rethink them, and is now engaged in recording new versions of the last two dozen – with the latest CD in the series, the third, including Symphonies Nos. 99-101. The Danish Chamber Orchestra is a good size for these works, containing about as many players as did the 40-member ensembles for which the symphonies were originally written. The verve and enthusiasm with which the players approach the symphonies are everywhere apparent, even if Fischer himself sometimes tries just a little too hard to produce readings that differ from those he has offered in the past – and from those of other conductors. On balance, though, these reconsiderations are uniformly worthwhile and often a lot of fun to hear, with Haydn’s wit combining to excellent effect with his melodic skill and ever-present sense of balance and poise.

     On the latest CD, Symphony No. 99 starts with a nice emphasis on the opening chords, followed by a quick main section with a pleasantly light touch. The use of timpani for emphasis is well-handled, and the clarinets – used for the first time by Haydn in this work – give the winds a different character from those in earlier symphonies. The second movement features gentle pacing with nice wind touches; the flutes are standouts here. The movement’s central part with scampering winds makes a pleasant contrast. The third movement is bouncy with a real sense of “swing,” and there is a pastoral feeling to the wind-dominated Trio, which flows well into the repeat of the Menuet. The finale features a very light touch at the start and good pacing throughout, and the delicacy of the playing is notable in all sections of the orchestra. In Symphony No. 100 (“Military”), the opening features good, gentle flow that builds well, with particularly effective timpani; there follows a genuinely jaunty main theme with very good wind/string balance. This first movement is pleasantly speedy, and its pauses and sudden dynamic changes are well-handled. The second movement is paced just right for an Allegretto, and the “military” elements are brought clearly to the fore. It is easy to see why this symphony became so immediately popular and has remained so: the percussion exclamations, surprising when first heard, provide unusual and impressive aural color thereafter. There is nice angularity to the Menuet, with good timpani and brass touches, and the wind-led Trio contrasts well. The finale is very quick: Presto, as marked. Bright and upbeat throughout, it features a scurrying theme with unexpected pauses that are very effective. Timpani emphases are well done, and the orchestra’s dips into very quiet sections make for a delightful contrast, especially when followed by sudden timpani-underlined outbursts. The eventual re-entry of the "military" elements is genuinely surprising here and makes for a highly enthusiastic conclusion. Symphony No. 101 (“The Clock”) opens with an especially atmospheric Adagio before the main Presto section, which provides a strong contrast and is quite rapidly paced. As a whole, the movement is jaunty and jovial. In the second movement, the “ticking” rhythm is distinct, there is a good Andante pace, string clarity is very good, and wind touches are nicely handled. There is good rhythmic accentuation in the extended Menuet, whose unusual-sounding Trio is well-managed in the contrast between strings and winds. The dynamic contrast between the movement’s quieter and louder sections is particularly effective. The clarity of individual notes is notable in the very bustling Vivace finale. The decorative violin line is brought out especially well, with notable brass accentuation, and the movement’s softest sections are very well contrasted with fortepassages. All three of these symphonies are interpreted very effectively and played with considerable aplomb, making it apparent that even though Fischer says he has changed a number of his thoughts on and approaches to Haydn over the years, he still has a firm grasp of the composer’s many appealing qualities – and is fortunate to have an orchestra that communicates those pleasures so consistently and with such a high degree of skill.