The score for Aladdin was extensive, comprising no fewer than 275 pages of music, with Nielsen's pupil Nancy Dalberg assisting in orchestration and fair copy production.
Notable Performances
Carl Nielsen never witnessed his Aladdin music performed as he conceived it in the theatre; the first nearly complete presentation he conducted himself was a concert performance in 1925.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Nielsen gave his Aladdin music a slightly exotic character by using a kind of melodic primitiveness, often with melodies moving within a narrow range and repeating figures.
Composition History
Carl Nielsen's incidental music for Aladdin was commissioned in 1917 by the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen for a lavish performance of Adam Oehlenschläger's fairy tale drama.
Critical Reception
At its 1919 premiere, Nielsen publicly disclaimed musical responsibility for the production of Aladdin, which had been shortened and reordered without his consent, and was later called a 'murder of the music'.
Compositional Technique
Nielsen used specific musical motifs and sound effects for recurring dramatic elements, such as high string tremolos for the genie of the ring and megaphones for the genie of the lamp.
Composer Biography
Carl Nielsen, the composer, was an experienced conductor at the Royal Theatre from 1908-1914 and had composed two operas and incidental music for ten plays.
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