Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6 Danish National Symphony Orchestra & Fabio Luisi

• Carl Nielsen (1865 - 1931): Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments":
• 1 Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": I. Allegro collerico 10:08
• 2 Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": II. Allegro comodo e flemmatico 04:56
• 3 Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": III. Andante malincolico 12:56
• 4 Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, Op. 16 "The Four Temperaments": IV. Allegro sanguineo 07:02
• Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice":
• 5 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": I. Tempo giusto 14:28
• 6 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": II. Humoreske 04:11
• 7 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": III. Proposta seria 05:27
• 8 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVa. Allegro – Tema. Allegretto un poco 00:58
• 9 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVb. Var. 1 00:32
• 10 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVc. Var. 2. Allegretto quasi andantino 00:28
• 11 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVd. Var. 3. Più vivo – Var. 4. – Var. 5. Brioso 02:17
• 12 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVe. Var. 6. Tempo di Valse – Var. 7 02:11
• 13 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVf. Var. 8. Molto adagio 03:02
• 14 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVg. Var. 9. Tempo di tema 00:28
• 15 Nielsen: Symphony No. 6 "Sinfonia Semplice": IVh. Fanfare 01:44
• Total Runtime 01:10:48

Info for Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 6

Fabio Luisi and the DNSO are in the process of recording all of Carl Nielsen's symphonies and concertos. This third recording completes the cycle of symphonies numbered 2 and 6 and will be released on 27 January.

Nielsen's last symphony - anything but "semplice" - is also finely tuned and disconcertingly precise, and probably comes across better in this sound world because of its leaner, meaner instrumentation. The childlike humour of his "second childhood" has strong parallels with Shostakovich's last symphony, although it is doubtful that the Russian ever heard his Danish colleague's last symphonic reveries. The idea of brutally destroyed innocence is common to both, however, even if Nielsen expresses it more clearly in the hyperventilating climax of the first movement, which is unceremoniously taken over by a wind section that is every bit as disturbing and malevolent as the renegade side drum in the Fifth Symphony. And then there's the moment in the second movement, "Humoreske", where the trombone's glissandi smell worse than you can imagine. But the heaviness of the slow movement is matched only by its bleakness, and I think the real difference between Shostakovich and Nielsen is the anarchic sense of fun: the way he subverts the possibility of variation in the last movement, and of course the two-finger salute to death by two mighty rude bassoons in the finale.

Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Fabio Luisi, Conductor

Fabio Luisi
is Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Danish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (DR Symfoni Orkestret), Emeritus Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale RAI based in Torino, Principal Conductor of the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo and Honorary Conductor of Teatro Carlo Felice of Genova, his native town.

In addition to the symphonic activity with the various orchestras with which he has a privileged relation, in the 22/23 season Maestro Luisi conducts a new production of Vespri Siciliani at the Teatro alla Scala, he continues the recording of Carl Nielsen’s symphonies with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon. In 2024 will present the complete cycle “Der Ring des Nibelungen” by Wagner in concert version with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - an event never performed before by any US orchestra.

He conducts the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Münchner Philharmoniker, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Berliner Philharmoniker just to name a few.

A former Principal conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Luisi has been honored with the Gold Medal and Gold Ring dedicated to Bruckner. His past engagements include Music Director at the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Sächsische Staatsoper, Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Artistic Director of the Leipzig Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Music Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Principal Conductor of the Tonkünstler-Orchester in Vienna and Artistic Director of the Graz Symphony Orchestra.

Luisi received a Grammy Award for his conducting of the last two operas of The Ring of the Nibelung, and the DVD of the same cycle, recorded live at the Metropolitan and released by Deutsche Grammophon, was named Best Opera Recording in 2012. His extensive discography includes works by Giuseppe Verdi, Antonio Salieri, and Vincenzo Bellini; symphonies by Arthur Honegger, Ottorino Respighi, and Franz Liszt; music by Franz Schmidt and Richard Strauss; and his award-winning interpretation of Anton Bruckner's Ninth Symphony. In 2015, the Philharmonia Zürich launched its own Philharmonia Records record label with Luisi's interpretations of Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, and Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, to which was recently added the rare performance of the original version of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony.

Fabio Luisi was awarded the Grifo d'Oro for his contribution to the cultural heritage of the city of Genoa.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra
was founded in 1925 as part of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Today, it is one of the leading symphony orchestras in Europe, performing with the world’s leading conductors and soloists. Since 2016, the Chief Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra has been Fabio Luisi, who succeeded the late Spanish maestro Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Former Principal Conductors and Principal Guest Conductors include Herbert Blomstedt (conductor laureate), Thomas Dausgaard, Gerd Albrecht, Leif Segerstam, Dmitri Kitajenko and Yuri Temirkanov. The Danish National Symphony Orchestra has performed with Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leonidas Kavakos, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Leif Ove Andsnes, Lang Lang, Anna Netrebko, Daniel Barenboim, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yehudi Menuhin and Itzhak Perlman. The orchestra has toured extensively in the USA, in South America, in Japan, China and in most countries in Europe, and performed at some of the most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Musikverein – always with Danish music on the repertoire.

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra has a special feeling for Danish music – from classics like Carl Nielsen and Niels W. Gade to very young composing talents. Each year more than 100,000 music-lovers experience the magic of live symphonic music with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra – both in the spectacular hall of DR Koncerthuset (designed by Jean Nouvel) and on the orchestra’s annual tour abroad. In addition to the concert audiences, the orchestra’s popular Thursday Concerts are enjoyed by half a million Danes on radio and TV, and millions the world over tune in when the concerts are broadcast internationally.

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