Carl Nielsen's opera Masquerade was submitted to the Royal Opera in Copenhagen in 1905 unfinished, lacking an overture and with an incomplete third act.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Carl Nielsen described his Sinfonia espansiva as the work that established his name both at home and abroad, particularly in Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Holland.
Composition History
The Clarinet Concerto was tailored by Nielsen for the 'choleric musician' Aage Oxenvad, the work's original soloist, after Carl Johan Michaelsen reminded Nielsen of his promise to Oxenvad.
Composer Biography
Carl Nielsen, the composer, maintained a long-standing relationship with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, conducting them regularly until shortly before his death.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the Gothenburg Concert Hall, which is considered one of the world's finest concert venues, a quality confirmed by scientific study and interviews with international conductors.
Compositional Technique
Nielsen's Sinfonia espansiva (Symphony No. 3) features two human voices singing on the vowel 'a' towards the end of the second movement, aiming for a 'flegmatically paradisal mood'.
Critical Reception
The first public performance of the Clarinet Concerto in Copenhagen in 1928 received a mixed reception, with most reviewers confused by its 'musical wildness'.
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