Composer of the Week - Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) - Episode 3

Donald Macleod explores the life and work of Carl Nielsen, Denmark's best-known composer. He focuses on Nielsen's wife Marie's pursuit of her own career as a sculptor which kept her away from home for months at a time, leaving the composer to face life-changing decisions on his own. In spite of professional setbacks and a variety of health scares, he continued to compose and in 1906 produced Maskarade, a comic opera about the pleasures and perils of masked balls. With highlights from Maskarade plus a complete performance of his fourth and final string quartet and part of the successful third symphony - his Sinfonia Espansiva. Du Danske Mand Einar Norby (baritone) Folmer Jensen (piano) Danacord DACOCD365-367, CD 1 Tr 20 Maskarade (excerpt) Jeronimus ...... Aage Haugland (bass) Leander ...... Gert-Henning Jensen (tenor) Henrik ...... Bo Skovhus (baritone) Leonard ...... Kurt Ravn (baritone) Arv ...... Michael Kristensen (tenor) Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Ulf Schirmer (conductor) Decca 460 228/9-2, CD1 Trs 9, 10, 11 String Quartet No 4 Kontra Quartet BIS-CD-503/4, CD2 Trs 5-8 Symphony No 3 (4th mvt) National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland Adrian Leaper (conductor) Naxos 8.550825 Tr 8.