Day 26: Nielsen Symphony no.3
Carl Nielsen was a Danish composer who was born in 1865,
just a year after Richard Strauss. He was quite a prolific composer, writing 6
symphonies, various concertos [ok, concerti if one must be pedantic!], many
orchestral and ensemble works, a couple of operas, and lots of hymns.
His early influences were composers like Grieg and Brahms,
although as his career progressed his music became more modern in outlook.
The third symphony is called Sinfonia Espansiva, and was
described by Nielsen himself in a programme note:
“The symphony expresses – namely in the first movement - a
strong tension which in the second movement
… has been completely eradicated by idyllic calm. Towards the end of
this movement two human voices sing on the vowel a, as though to bring about a
sort of flegmatically paradisal mood.”
“The third movement is something that cannot really be
characterised in that both good and evil make themselves felt without a real
outcome. The finale … is straightforward: a hymn to work and the healthy
enjoyment of daily life. Not a pathetic celebration of life but a sort of
general joy in being able to participate in the work of daily living and to see
activity and capability unfold all around us.”
