Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 6

[fergus]

Symphony No. 6 Score:


Here is a link to the score for those who are so inclined. Visually, for all of its complexity it is uncluttered and relatively easy to follow in this edition.


Nielsen Symphony No. 6 Score

[fergus]

Tonight I listened to Nielsen's Sixth and when it had finished I listened to it a second time. From the very outset one is aware that this unusual work is a Nielsen composition as the haunting strings, the woodwinds and the clarinet call reveal his familiar signature. It is a discordant and unsettling symphony, I find it interesting and I do like it however, it will require repeated listening before I can become intimately familiar with it....

Just to remark on a general note that it is interesting having done this background research and then listening to his symphonic works again how I have developed a greater appreciation for;

a) Nielsen’s string writing which is wonderful,

b) the brass writing which I have to admit I had not particularly noticed before but which is also wonderful, powerful and obviously as a result of his ability to play brass instruments and

c) his use of that ubiquitous snare drum which is obviously also a result of his military associations

[fergus]

First movement:

The first movement of the sixth symphony begins sweetly but coldly and the entire first movement alternates between simplicity and irony.

Beginning with G major, the opening features bell sounds followed by a "simple" and peaceful melody with strings; followed in turn, by active and very characteristic figures in the winds. The opening of the work is relatively idyllic in nature. However, shadows soon gather and this is reflected in the modulation of key changes and the music acquires and retains a sense of disquiet and foreboding. As in the fifth symphony there is an early hint of the key B-flat in which we will eventually close, since the wind response hits that B-flat as an on-and-off note in an otherwise G major passage. The mood of the opening gives way to fugal unrest and, eventually, two chaotic and disturbing outbursts around the eight minute mark depending on the recording (Simpson believes these reflect Nielsen's heart attacks, though he does not claim that the piece is pictorial or otherwise programmatic) before again quieting, to a lightly scored but unsettled close in A-flat.

Towards the end of the first movement I find some of the musical language to be quite disturbing and far from idyllic in nature.

[fergus]

Second movement:

The second movement “Humoreske” is quite a short and unusual movement. It is scored for only nine wind and percussion instruments and is almost athematic/tuneless and dependent on rhythm. The music is ill humoured and quarrelsome in nature. The composer, in notes he wrote for the first performance of the work said of this movement that the wind and percussion "quarrel, each sticking to his own tastes and inclinations". Nielsen went on to liken this to the musical world of the time and surely reflects something of his bewilderment at the musical world of the Avant-Garde movement of the 1920s which consisted of such names as Berg, Bartok, Schoenberg and Stravinsky.

[fergus]

Third movement:

In contrast to the stark nature of the scoring of the second movement this movement is a beautiful "proposta seria" which reintroduces the strings. It opens with a beautiful theme that is eloquently dignified yet filled with despair. I find it to be an uneasy and unsettling piece that is reflected in the atonality of the harmonies and dissonances which I find hard and bleak yet somehow very attractive.

[fergus]

Finale:

The final movement is a set of nine variations all very different in character and based on a sixteen bar theme on solo bassoon and touching on all twelve notes of the chromatic scale. As with the preceding movements it is quite a disconcerting piece of music; I find that there is no comfort or solace but a constant state of flux. The ninth variation, just before the fanfare-reprise and coda, has a sound and affect like that of the Humoreske — Simpson likens it to a grinning skeleton which is dismissed by a harshly brilliant, irrepressible coda. Layton describes it as a lament and that is a closer description.

The last note of the piece is a sustained low B-flat played loudly on two bassoons, well-described as a raspberry. (Ciaran described it somewhat differently recently LOL!!!)

[fergus]

Any survey of Nielsen’s symphonies will include the Blomstedt cycle and it is here that I will start with No. 6.

Blomstedt’s opening to No. 6 is a delight. The touch is very light and we definitely get a sense of the idyllic. The sweeping passages are absolutely beautifully done but for me, in comparison to other versions the sense of the sardonic and ironic is not as highlighted due to a lack of sparseness and terseness as this is a very full bodied performance. That sense of contrast is not as clearly or as highly defined as in other versions.
We certainly get the sense of a quarrelsome exchange in the interaction of the instruments during the second movement. Once again it is a little more rounded and less sharp or edgy than other interpretations.
The opening of the third movement is beautifully poignant with voluptuous strings and this is the major strength of the Blomstedt interpretation. A sense of the unsettling is secured and maintained throughout the movement and it culminates with a lovely sense of longing.
Once again the variations are excellently played but whereas the sense of turmoil is adequately handled one is not faced with a sense of threat or foreboding quite like that portrayed elsewhere. The conclusion is powerful, quite upbeat and very positive.

In summary this is a very well played version and if you like a lush sounding orchestra then you will really like this version even if it is not as bleak an interpretation as others. It is beautifully recorded and comes highly recommended.

[fergus]

Berglund’s opening is crisper and cooler than that of Blomstedt but it is also lovely. However once the opening passage has run its course the tone of this performance takes on a darker hue. It is more edgy and questioning and displays more a sense of the ironic than does Blomstedt. There is a wonderful sense of threat and tension around the “heart attack” episode and the sense of unease as the movement winds its way to a conclusion is a nice contrast to the idyllic opening.

There is more a sense of skittish, playful humour in this interpretation of the second movement than a quarrel and it is interesting for that.

Once again we have a wonderful sense of a poignant longing in the third movement performance. This one, however, has dark overtones and a sense of despair and its conclusion is very gentle and delicate.

The variations are on the dark and disturbing side and they have a nice sense of tension and disquiet to them. They are edgy and disconcerting.

This performance is stark and portrays a sense of disquiet, foreboding and menace that gets to the essence of the work. It is a rather unsettling performance and I do not think that there is a trace of optimism to be found in it. The more that I listen to this cycle overall (and this sixth in particular) the more that I find myself really liking it for its very Nordic feel.

[fergus]

Leaper opens with a lovely sweep. Those threatening clouds soon appear on the horizon and the music strives optimistically for a resolution to all of the conflict in the first movement. There are some very nice contrasts in this first movement performance. It is a very tight performance and wonderfully played.
The second movement has a nice sense of tongue in cheek irony about it. Yes it is quarrelsome but not in a sharp or biting way.
The performance of the third movement is very much on the dark side. It is unsettling and disquieting and portrays a keen sense of a bleak world. There is a haunting beauty to it though.
The variations are filled with turbulence and turmoil and one is certainly swept along by them. Filled with wonderful contrasts the performance is quirky and a delight.

Undoubtedly the Leaper version reflects the turmoil of the work but I find that there are also many elements of optimism present in this performance. It is a powerful performance and would be a cheap and a strongly recommended way to begin to explore this work.

[fergus]

The Stokowski version opens with great lyricism and optimism but there is soon great tension on the horizon and this yields great contrast and conflict. This battle between the idyllic and the conflict is really very well documented in this wonderfully strong performance. There is plenty of tension here too and the contrast between it and the sense of the idyllic results in a vibrant performance.
The performance of the second movement seems starker in this version. It is argumentative and quarrelsome but not excessively so and is not too ill tempered.
The third movement appears lean and harsh and is definitely on the dark side. It is a bold comment and statement on the world as Nielsen sees it.
The variations are played with zest and there is wonderful contrast over the range of them. The tempo is on the quick side and this definitely adds to the sense of turbulence and turmoil as one is swept along. A strong sense of the ironic comes across in the performance of this movement.


This is a very powerful performance that is uncompromising in its approach. It is full blooded and has great dynamic range. If one is seriously interested in this symphony then this performance simply must be in your collection!