The Carl Nielsen opera "Saul & David" on this album is a live studio broadcast from May 1960, featuring many of Denmark's finest singers.
Composition History
Carl Nielsen, composer of the opera "Saul & David," chose this Old Testament story after deliberating between it and a setting of J.P. Jacobsen's "Marie Grubbe."
Recording & Production
The recording of Helge Bonnén's "Spoon River Anthology" is a first-ever release, transferred from a 1959 broadcast.
Interpretation
The recordings in this series represent a "last gasp of a lost tradition," preserving a performing culture derived from Carl Nielsen and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra's early conductors.
Compositional Technique
Bonnén's "Spoon River Anthology" uses fast-moving, cinematically illustrative music with raw brass, woodwind flourishes, and grinding rhythms to accompany recitations of the poems.
Composer Biography
Helge Bonnén, composer of "Spoon River Anthology," had a diverse career as a pianist, editor, founder of an opera company, and author, in addition to composing nearly 50 works.
Recording & Production
This album is Volume 15 of "The Thomas Jensen Legacy," featuring recordings by conductor Thomas Jensen.
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