James Galway plays NIELSEN

James Galway plays Nielsen

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra

Wind Quintet

(2) Fantasy Pieces

Suite

James Galway (flute) plays music of Carl Nielsen: 

Flute Concerto, with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Galway; 

Quintet Op. 43 with Bjorn Carl Nielsen (oboe), Niels Thomsen (clarinet), Jens Fofte-Hansen (bassoon), and Bjorn Fosdal (French horn); 

The Fog is Lifting, with Sioned Williams (harp); 

The Children are Playing; Faith and Hope are Playing, with Brian Hawkins (viola); 

Two Fantasy Pieces, Op. 2, with Philip Moll (piano).

So far there is no other version of the Nielsen Wind Quintet on CD or LP, and only one of the Flute Concerto with Aurele Nicolet (Philips). James Galway enjoys a wide popular following and if this issue brings this music greater currency it will have served a useful purpose. To the broader public this new record must be warmly recommended for it goes without saying that Galway's personality and virtuosity are commanding. It would be good to hear him in the two concertos of Vagn Holmboe, to whose brilliance he would surely do justice. In a way here is a difficult record to write about in that those who respond warmly to Galway are not automatically going to follow him to Nielsen, while those who find his tone too sweet and his vibrato too obtrusive will equally automatically give it a miss.

In addition to the Concerto and the Quintet, both from the 1920s, the record also gives us arrangements by Galway himself of the early Fantasias, Op. 2 for oboe, which do not to my mind sit well on any other instrument. He gives a brilliant and confident account of the 1926 Concerto, and here also serves as conductor; the orchestral playing, though eminently spirited, is no match for the Leipzig Gewandhaus in terms of finesse and polish. Nicolet's playing is very persuasive too and collectors should note that he offers Busoni's poetic Divertimento and an interesting rarity by Reinecke as couplings. Speaking of poetry, Galway gives an expressive account of the poignant coda of the first movement.

The Wind Quintet, composed for the Copenhagen Wind Quintet in 1922 as a kind of relaxation after his exertions on the Fifth Symphony, is one of the most refreshing works in the repertory. It really has the fragrance and earthiness of the early morning. Those who know the pioneering 78rpm HMV records by the Copenhagen quintet (transferred to LP some time ago by Danacord—DACO124/6, part of a three-LP set) or for that matter the Melos Ensemble (EMI—nla) or the Lark (Lyrichord—nla), will find this performance has less sense of corporate identity, not surprisingly, since opportunities for these particular artists to be together are inevitably limited.

As a matter of interest, both the oboist and horn player (Bjorn Carl Nielsen and Bjorn Fosdal) are members of the Danish Wind Quintet who recorded this work for Philips (nla) in the early 1970s. My main criticism here is the tendency to iron out dynamic extremes; I doubt whether anyone would guess the dynamic markings of the pianopianissimo bars in the second part of the Minuet (page 20 of the Hansen miniature score) from this record, or guess that the opening of the Praeludium is marked fortissimo. No doubt the rather forward present balance reinforces this impression and Phillip Moll's piano in the Op. 2 pieces is poorly focused too. Nor does this larger-than-life balance in The mist is lifting (''Taagen Letter'') help to enhance its effect: it by no means obliterates memories of an ethereal account by Holger Gilbert Jespersen. All the same, these reservations apart, this is a welcome venture and should do much to further Nielsen's cause.'

Gramophone Magazine