Fanfare 3
*****
A treasurable collection of Carl Nielsen’s complete works for solo piano
NIELSEN Welcome to 20 Della Grazia, Little Marie!. Chaconne, op. 32. Five Piano Pieces, op. 3. Symphonic Suite, op. 8. Souvenirs from Carl Nielsen, 11 Small Piano Pieces. Piano Music for Young and Old, op. 53. Prelude for a New Century. Three Piano Pieces, op. 59. Theme with Variations, op. 40. Piano Piece. Humoresque-Bagatelles, op. 11. Two Character Pieces. Suite, op. 45 “The Luciferian”. The Dream about ‘Silent Night’. Excerpts from The Mother for Piano. Dance of the Handmaidens from Hagbarth and Signe. Prelude to ‘Snefrid’ for Piano. Elves’ Dance from Sir Oluf He Rides. Music for Otto Benzon’s Play Parents. Aladdin: Oriental Festival March. Dances from Aladdin for Piano  Rikke Sandberg (pn)  OUR 8.226939-41 (3 CDs: 206:28) Reviewed from a wav download with resolution 24/44.1

Carl Nielsen: The Ultimate Solo Piano Collection presents all of the Danish composer’s works for solo keyboard, performed by Rikke Sandberg. According to booklet included with the OUR Recordings set, Carl Nielsen: The Ultimate Solo Piano Collection “includes more than an hour of world premiere recordings.” The compositions span approximately four decades of Nielsen’s career, with the Piano Music for Young and Old, op. 53 (1930) representing the composer’s final published work for solo piano. The 3-disc set divides into two categories. The first (Discs 1 and 2) encompasses original works for solo piano. The final disc explores “Carl Nielsen’s own piano arrangements of incidental music and original piano works for the theatre.” As Sandberg comments in the booklet liner notes: “Once the decision to record had been made, it became clear to me, thanks to the help of Carl Nielsen scholar Bo Foltmann, that there was more material than had previously been recorded. Not only small solo pieces, but also incidental music and arrangements of orchestral works, arranged by Carl Nielsen himself, just as the Third Symphony, Sinfonia Espansiva, had been.” (In the Nov/Dec 2024 Fanfare, Issue 48:2, I reviewed Sandberg and Kristoffer Hyldig’s recording (OUR 8.226923) of Nielsen’s arrangement for piano four hands of his Symphony No. 3). While Sandberg posits that Nielsen did not intend his solo piano arrangements of orchestral pieces for performance or publication, “one can also view the works as they are here as a historical documentation of an extraordinarily productive composer. These piano versions allow even more people access to playing and enjoying Carl Nielsen’s music, since several of these small movements and dances are well suited to advanced music-school students. Likewise, it is simply enjoyable to bring orchestral music into the smaller concert hall, for smaller ensembles or entirely solo.”
Nielsen’s original piano works comprise pieces intended for virtuoso artists and enterprising amateurs. One example of the former is the Suite, op. 45, “The Luciferian” (1919-20). Nielsen dedicated “The Luciferian” to Artur Schnabel. How wonderful it would be to have a recording of the dedicatee performing this brilliant work! But whether the composition is technically demanding, or accessible for a pianist of more modest talents (such as the Piano Music for Young and Old), Nielsen’s unique, unpredictable voice shines through. Time and again, Nielsen takes unexpected diversions – be they melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic – that engage and delight. To a degree, this unpredictable nature contrasts with the works found on Disc 3. While that incidental music is undoubtedly the work of a master composer, the journey is more predictable. Perhaps that impression is intensified by the absence of Nielsen’s remarkable orchestrations. But regardless of the type of work, I found myself thoroughly engaged throughout the entirety of this set. That is due of course in great part to Nielsen’s genius. Of equal importance, Rikke Sandberg proves an ideal champion of Nielsen’s piano music. Her technical mastery is complemented by a bright and rich sonority, clarity of texture, and keen phrasing that employs rubato in a most subtle and expressive way. It’s a gift to have Nielsen’s complete solo piano works realized in such an accomplished fashion. The recorded sound is excellent, and the liner notes provide a wealth of information. I can’t imagine anyone interested in the music of Carl Nielsen being without this set. Recommended. Ken Meltzer