The third release in the first tranche of Hallé CDs features the work of Carl Nielsen, a contemporary of Elgar’s, but a composer of contrasting style.Hugely popular through his symphonies and concertos in his native Denmark,his fame spread all over Europe, and by 1922 with the premiere of his Fifth (and arguably greatest) Symphony,he was a major musical figure.

Later the same year Nielsen wrote a number of minor pieces for a wind quintet formed by players in the Royal Danish Symphony Orchestra. He enjoyed the experience greatly and, having achieved success with his Violin Concerto, looked forward to a series of wind concerti. The Flute Concerto was premiered in 1926, a popular addition to the repertoire from the outset.

Both the Symphony and the Concerto form part of the Hallé’s concert repertoire under Mark Elder, and were highly acclaimed when performed only weeks before these studio recordings were made in 2001.

Conductor
Sir Mark Elder

Flute
Andrew Nicholson

Catalogue number CD HLL 7502

Preview: https://orcd.co/eprv06e