SEATTLE SYMPHONY MEDIA RELEASES THRILLING LIVE PERFORMANCES OF DANISH COMPOSER CARL NIELSEN’S EXUBERANT SYMPHONIES NOS. 1 & 2 ON JUNE 5, 2020

“[The] Seattle Symphony recording of Symphonies [Nos.] 3 and 4 could well be the first installment of what will eventually be hailed as the Nielsen cycle of the 21st century.”

– Jason Victor Serinus, Stereophile

Seattle, WA — Music Director Thomas Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony release electrifying live recordings of Nielsen Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 on June 5, 2020. The highly anticipated album is the second installment in Dausgaard and the Symphony’s recordings of all of Carl Nielsen’s symphonies.

The release, featuring Nielsen’s earliest symphonic works, showcases the mastery of tonality and form for which he is known. These works give listeners a window into the composer’s sentimentality and humor. Inspired by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Nielsen's Symphony No. 1 cites the Danish folk melodies of Nielsen’s childhood and evokes scenes from his youth. In Symphony No. 2, “The Four Temperaments,” Nielsen presents a musical sketch inspired by a painting he saw at a country inn that depicted the Four Temperaments, with each movement embodying a temperament: The Choleric, The Phlegmatic, The Melancholic and The Sanguine.

“As we face these challenging times together, I hope the vitality and joy of Nielsen’s Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 are felt by those who listen to these recordings,” shares Music Director Thomas Dausgaard. “Nielsen is among the most important composers from my home country Denmark, and one of my happiest memories is playing his ever-youthful First Symphony. I am delighted to have performed these beloved works with the Seattle Symphony and to be sharing them with audiences around the world through this album. Bringing the Nielsen cycle recordings to completion in Seattle will be a great honor to which I am looking forward.”

Bachtrack’s review of the Seattle Symphony’s performance of Nielsen’s Symphony No. 1 raved, “A work rarely heard in these parts, the Nielsen bursts forth in medias res […]. Dausgaard inspired the players to bring forth the symphony’s tremendous élan with shimmering colours.”

Dausgaard has long been regarded for his take on the music of his countrymen. This Nielsen Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 release joins the critically acclaimed recordings of Nielsen Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 from Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony. The 2017 album received a Grammy Award nomination in Best Orchestral Performance, the Seattle Symphony’s first in the esteemed category.

Digital downloads and CDs are available through all major online music retailers and streaming services and will be available worldwide on June 5, 2020. This recording is also available in an immaculate 5.1 digital surround version engineered by 2017 Grammy Award winner for Best Surround Sound, Dmitriy Lipay.

To obtain a physical or digital review copy of the release, photos, liner notes or any other information on Seattle Symphony Media, please contact Dinah Lu at press@seattlesymphony.org.

RECORDING DETAILS

CARL NIELSEN
Symphony No. 1 
Symphony No. 2, “The Four Temperaments” 

Thomas Dausgaard, conductor 

Seattle Symphony 

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