Carl Nielsen's flute concerto: the risk of being called a barbarian.
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Carl August Nielsen (1865 – 3 October 1931 is widely recognized as Denmark's most prominent composer. Throughout his life Nielsen remained a fascinating mixture of earthy simplicity and intellectual sophistication, reading widely and keeping up to date with musical innovations. Initially he reacted against Wagner’s modernism, but in later years he was fascinated by what progressive-minded composers like Bartók, Schoenberg and Hindemith were doing. His very last works show him as keen as ever to extend his musical horizons, though without sacrificing the rootedness in nature that he’d inherited and nurtured as a child. (1)
About his flute concerto, Carl Nielsen said that the composer has had to follow the mild character of the instrument if he did not want to run the risk of being called a barbarian. (2)
But this concerto is not at all what one would think of as pastoral musings. As our soloist and principal flute, Jennifer Wright, notes: "You’ll hear a trio for flute, viola and French horn, and duets for flute with clarinet, bassoon and even bass trombone! The music is at times triumphant, tragic, playful and passionate."
We hope you'll join us to hear this lovely concerto along with Nielsen's Saga Dream and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 'Titan'
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