Pärnu Music Festival Conductor Paavo Järvi Estonian Festival Orchestra parnumusicfestival.ee Recorded: 14.07.2016 in Pärnu Concert Hall, Estonia Video: Tammo Sumera, Mait Visnapuu
A wonderful masterpiece. All four movements are superlative, and they reflect a winsomeness that is never coy or shallow. All the emotions are fully "earned," so that when the triumphantly sanguine conclusion comes, it is radiant in its pure truthfulness. There are often quizzes on social media about what person from the past we would want to sit with on a park bench. For me, Nielsen. What a great musician. Hope springs eternal when listening to his humor, his sorrow, his great soul in sound.
Michael McCarthy -- It's true! But those Loquacious Silences are conceits inherited from their illustrious Järva muse and polymath....whose name is for some reason seldom mentioned anymore nowadays: Dr. rer. nat. Johänn Gambölputty von Außfern-Schplenden-Schlitter-Crasscrënbön-Fried-Digger-Dingle-Dangle-Donglë-Dungle-Burßtein-von-Knacker-Thraßher-äpple-Banger-Horöwitz-Ebenmäißgkeitsentzückung-Ticolënsic-Grander-Knötty-ßpelltinkle- Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz-Grandlich-Grümblemeyer-ßpelterwässer-Kurstlich-ähimbleeisen-Bahnwagen-Gütenabënd-Bitte-ein-Nürnburger-Brätwustle-Gerspürten-mitz-Weimache-Luber-Hundsfut-Gumbëraber-Shönedanker-Kälbßfleisch-Mittlër-Aucher von Hautköpft von Ulm.
I love this symphony, an absolute gem of the early 20th c. One of the great things about Y.T. is that it brings us performances from orchestras most of us would never know about, such as the Estonian Festival Orchestra here. For a relatively modest size they seem to make a great sound and their playing is wonderful! As usual you can count on a great interpretation from Paavo Jarvi.
Perhaps one of the world's best orchestras now - what the Lucerne Festival Orchestra used to be under Abbado, with that same sense of loving it all and doing so much for a conductor-friend.
As a high schooler in the 90s, I bought a copy of Paavo Berglund's performance (with a Danish orchestra, IIRC) of this (coupled with the 5th on a RCA disc). I enjoyed it at first, but eventually felt like it seemed shallow, and ended up selling it or giving it away. Hearing this interpretation by Jarvi convinces me that there was nothing wrong with the music, only Berglund's rather lightweight interpretation of it. Great job to all.
It's truly a remarkable, inspiring performance of an inspired composition. I can't help but notice an irony in Nielsen's "temperament" designations of each movement: The first movement exudes confidence and assertiveness, even aggression, but not ill temper. The second is sunny and cheerful, even if innocent; and I somehow miss the melancholy of the 3rd: it sounds erotic to me, building toward a climax. If there's anger in this work, it must be in the furious, headlong pace of the fourth, "sanguine" movement: it's the proverbial bull in a china shop.
Everyone of Nielsen's [at least early] symphonies were ABSOLUTE GEMS okay Cameron. It's t oo bad that he didn't live beyond his 65 years to compose his 7th symphony.
They're all masterpieces, and each one is radically different in tone, and intent, from the others. This symphony, and the preceding one in G minor, are the most classical of the set. The orchestras are no larger than those employed by Mozart or early Beethoven.
I enjoyed this performance as much as I did others who did justice to Nielsen's creative genius in this symphony. Another special feature that strikes me as unique in this live performance is how the musicians (some ostensibly so) seemed to enjoy the playing of this music. You would notice the smiles on the players' faces, further evidence of how great music brings joy to us all, even while the music itself could be melancholic (as in the 3rd movement, starting at 15:26, which brings to mind the beginning of the 4th movement of Mahler's 9th Symphony). Bravo!
I always liked this symphony. It has a touch of Sibelius' influence, but it is still very Nielsenish. The themes are memorable and developed beautifully.
Yes. A wrong entrance or missed cue? Odd, but this sort of thing can happen. Have played in orchestra a good bit. Had a bad one myself once, though it was Stravinsky, and I don't think anyone noticed!
I don't hear that, but you may have a point. I do like Heavy Metal, especially Metallica, but think it's more like "serious" minimalist pieces...but better.
