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Nielsen: Aladdin Op. 34 / Rozhdestvensky, Ejsing, Päevatalu
NIELSEN Aladdin ⢠Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond; Mette Ejsing (alt); Guido Paevatalu (bar); Danish Natl SO & CCh ⢠CHANDOS 10498 (79:34)
âIt took some time for Nielsen to enter in the spirit of the oriental world in order to be able to compose original, suggestive music and not only imitations of folkloristic motifs,â writes Sussie Grevsen, in the liner notes to this release. There may be something in that to explain why the entirety of Aladdin âall 31 pieces, lasting a generous 79:34âis moderately underwhelming. Nielsen appears to have focused much of his efforts on providing musical backdrops; and while 13 of these cuts understandably have a low profile so as not to detract from text being recited in performance (omitted here), they donât make for memorable listening. As much can be written, as well, of the Genieâs three separate minute-long utterances; a menâs chorus intoning a written text in unison on one note over a few spare, uninteresting chords adds little to the work. The incidental music is at its best, I think, in much of act III, which functions as exotically colored ballet music. Not coincidentally, it also furnished five out of the seven pieces included in the orchestral suite of excerpts Nielsen created. Elsewhere, however, the work usually fails to sustain interest on its own, and the sense of mystery and fantasy that underlies J. P. E. Hartmannâs score on the same subject is largely lacking.
That noted, if you do want all of Aladdin , this disc is the only way to currently acquire it. Rozhdestvensky and the Danish Natl SO recorded this back in 1993, and itâs been available ever since. Thereâs excellent pacing, and plenty of color when itâs requiredâthough I still find Friedel/Aarhus SO (MSR Classics 1150; suite only) superior in creating organized chaos during the âMarketplace in Ispahanâ sequence. Mette Ejsing is suave and affecting in her few selections, as is Guido Paevatalu, whom I liked so well in the eponymous role of Børresenâs The Royal Guest (dacapo 8.226020).
The new release is labeled âdigitally remastered,â but I really canât find any audio differences between this re-release and my original copy. The sound in any case is good, while Chandos provides full texts and translations. The price is lower, too, so this is the one to get, if you want it all.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
NIELSEN Aladdin ⢠Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond; Mette Ejsing (alt); Guido Paevatalu (bar); Danish Natl SO & CCh ⢠CHANDOS 10498 (79:34)
âIt took some time for Nielsen to enter in the spirit of the oriental world in order to be able to compose original, suggestive music and not only imitations of folkloristic motifs,â writes Sussie Grevsen, in the liner notes to this release. There may be something in that to explain why the entirety of Aladdin âall 31 pieces, lasting a generous 79:34âis moderately underwhelming. Nielsen appears to have focused much of his efforts on providing musical backdrops; and while 13 of these cuts understandably have a low profile so as not to detract from text being recited in performance (omitted here), they donât make for memorable listening. As much can be written, as well, of the Genieâs three separate minute-long utterances; a menâs chorus intoning a written text in unison on one note over a few spare, uninteresting chords adds little to the work. The incidental music is at its best, I think, in much of act III, which functions as exotically colored ballet music. Not coincidentally, it also furnished five out of the seven pieces included in the orchestral suite of excerpts Nielsen created. Elsewhere, however, the work usually fails to sustain interest on its own, and the sense of mystery and fantasy that underlies J. P. E. Hartmannâs score on the same subject is largely lacking.
That noted, if you do want all of Aladdin , this disc is the only way to currently acquire it. Rozhdestvensky and the Danish Natl SO recorded this back in 1993, and itâs been available ever since. Thereâs excellent pacing, and plenty of color when itâs requiredâthough I still find Friedel/Aarhus SO (MSR Classics 1150; suite only) superior in creating organized chaos during the âMarketplace in Ispahanâ sequence. Mette Ejsing is suave and affecting in her few selections, as is Guido Paevatalu, whom I liked so well in the eponymous role of Børresenâs The Royal Guest (dacapo 8.226020).
The new release is labeled âdigitally remastered,â but I really canât find any audio differences between this re-release and my original copy. The sound in any case is good, while Chandos provides full texts and translations. The price is lower, too, so this is the one to get, if you want it all.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
$13.99
Nielsen: Aladdin Op. 34 / Rozhdestvensky, Ejsing, Päevataluâ
$13.99
Description
NIELSEN Aladdin ⢠Gennady Rozhdestvensky, cond; Mette Ejsing (alt); Guido Paevatalu (bar); Danish Natl SO & CCh ⢠CHANDOS 10498 (79:34)
âIt took some time for Nielsen to enter in the spirit of the oriental world in order to be able to compose original, suggestive music and not only imitations of folkloristic motifs,â writes Sussie Grevsen, in the liner notes to this release. There may be something in that to explain why the entirety of Aladdin âall 31 pieces, lasting a generous 79:34âis moderately underwhelming. Nielsen appears to have focused much of his efforts on providing musical backdrops; and while 13 of these cuts understandably have a low profile so as not to detract from text being recited in performance (omitted here), they donât make for memorable listening. As much can be written, as well, of the Genieâs three separate minute-long utterances; a menâs chorus intoning a written text in unison on one note over a few spare, uninteresting chords adds little to the work. The incidental music is at its best, I think, in much of act III, which functions as exotically colored ballet music. Not coincidentally, it also furnished five out of the seven pieces included in the orchestral suite of excerpts Nielsen created. Elsewhere, however, the work usually fails to sustain interest on its own, and the sense of mystery and fantasy that underlies J. P. E. Hartmannâs score on the same subject is largely lacking.
That noted, if you do want all of Aladdin , this disc is the only way to currently acquire it. Rozhdestvensky and the Danish Natl SO recorded this back in 1993, and itâs been available ever since. Thereâs excellent pacing, and plenty of color when itâs requiredâthough I still find Friedel/Aarhus SO (MSR Classics 1150; suite only) superior in creating organized chaos during the âMarketplace in Ispahanâ sequence. Mette Ejsing is suave and affecting in her few selections, as is Guido Paevatalu, whom I liked so well in the eponymous role of Børresenâs The Royal Guest (dacapo 8.226020).
The new release is labeled âdigitally remastered,â but I really canât find any audio differences between this re-release and my original copy. The sound in any case is good, while Chandos provides full texts and translations. The price is lower, too, so this is the one to get, if you want it all.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal
