Nielsen/ Gilbert/ New York Philharmonic - Concertos

"I think in terms of the instruments themselves - I sort of creep into their souls", said Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). His three solo concertos for violin, flute and clarinet concertos are highly characteristic and expressive works that show how Nielsen developed as a composer, increasingly distancing himself from the classical conventions. This new recording by New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert concludes the acclaimed Nielsen Project with soloists Nikolaj Znaider, Robert Langevin and Anthony McGill as the soloists in vivid live recordings from Avery Fisher Hall. "In Nikolaj Znaider's extraordinary performance of the solo part, it was not that the work's technical demands sounded easy but that they sounded musical... Mr. Znaider embraced Nielsen's characteristic swift shifts of mood, from aggressive scherzo to arching lyricism." (New York Times - concert review 2012) "Mr. Gilbert, as he has demonstrated, is an inspired Nielsen conductor. In Mr. McGill he had an ideal collaborator. Coming to the Philharmonic after a decade as a principal with the Met Opera Orchestra, Mr. McGill played with his trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character." (New York Times - concert review 2015)