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Carl Nielsen

Carl Nielsen

The Ultimate Solo Piano Collection
Release June 5, 2026

This landmark triple CD release presents for the first time the complete solo piano works of Denmark’s national composer, Carl Nielsen, performed by one of the country’s most distinguished and visionary pianists, Rikke Sandberg. She has worked with Nielsen’s music since she began playing the piano as a child, and her teachers form an unbroken lineage back to the pianists for whom Nielsen originally wrote his piano works. On this release you will find Nielsen’s original piano music as well as his own arrangements of his compositions. All of Nielsen’s solo piano music is included.

The Danish press has repeatedly celebrated her artistic integrity. Politiken writes: “She gathers torrents of notes into long, breathing arcs with sharply etched detail and colourful nuance… First and foremost she is an artist; display does not interest her.” The same paper concludes: “Few Danish pianists make as great a difference in our musical life as she does.” Jyllands-Posten praises her “richly nuanced and superbly controlled playing,” while international critics highlight interpretations where “nothing sounds overheated or overplayed… full of fire and sparkling esprit… with such restrained dynamics that one’s breath is taken away.”

At the heart of Sandberg’s artistry stands the great Romantic tradition, notably her acclaimed interpretations of Johannes Brahms, alongside a profound commitment to twentieth-century and contemporary Danish music.

Now, that lifelong dialogue between heritage and renewal culminates in Nielsen’s piano oeuvre: music of rhythmic vitality, bold architecture, folk-like simplicity and daring modernity. Spanning nearly forty years, from intimate miniatures to monumental works, this edition reveals Nielsen in his full creative breadth.

More than a recording, this is a definitive artistic statement, and the ultimate document of Carl Nielsen’s piano world.

Rikke Sandberg has been part of the elite in Danish musical life since her studies in New York and Copenhagen, where she gave her debut concert from the Royal Danish Academy of Music’s Soloist Class in 2002, and is known as an unusually expressive and distinctive pianist. She is ever-present and completely immersed in the music, and her skills and talent seem to have no limits – her repertoire ranges from early baroque to contemporary compositional music.

Piano

Rikke Sandberg

Carl Nielsen (1865–1931) was one of Denmark’s greatest composers and a significant figure in the development of modern classical music. Born on June 9, 1865, in the small village of Nørre Lyndelse on the island of Funen, Denmark, Nielsen grew up in a humble rural family. His father was a house painter and village musician who introduced him to music at an early age. Surrounded by folk melodies and traditional Danish culture, Nielsen developed a strong connection to music that shaped his future career.

Composter

Carl Nielsen

Reviews

Carl Nielsen

August 10, 2026

Amazing review in Textura

Textura

Carl Nielsen

August 9, 2026

Wonderful review in Spanish Magazine Fonograma

Luisa Balaguer

Carl Nielsen

July 29, 2026

Fantastic review in Slovakian Magazine Hudobný život

Jan Dušek

Carl Nielsen

July 23, 2026

Wonderful interview with Rikke Sandberg in Danish Newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad

Daniel Øhstrøm,

Carl Nielsen

July 17, 2026

Review in BBC Music Magazine

Rebecca Franks

Carl Nielsen

July 9, 2026

Fine review in Infodad (US)

Infodad

Carl Nielsen

June 28, 2026

Great Interview in Interlude (Hong Kong)

Fanny Po Sim Head

Carl Nielsen

June 26, 2026

Fine Gramophone review

David Fanning

Carl Nielsen

June 17, 2026

VERY fine review in MusicWebInternational

Nick Barnard

Carl Nielsen

June 10, 2026

Very personal and great 6 hearts review in Politiken (DK)

Thomas Michelsen

Carl Nielsen

June 8, 2026

5 notes review in Pizzicato

Remy Franck

Carl Nielsen

June 7, 2026

ALBUM OF THE WEEK in Deutschlandsfunk

Stefan Rütter

© 2026 by OUR Recordings

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