Carl Nielsen: Solo Piano Music Collection | Classical Piano Sheet Music & Scores | Perfect for Performances, Practice & Study

I will admit that before this CD I had never, to my knowledge, heard a note of Carl Nielsen's piano music. He was, of course, primarily a symphonic composer and was not himself a pianist. So I was surprised to come upon this disc; indeed, I had not known he'd ever composed any music for piano alone. I was familiar with his organ piece, 'Commotio,' and rather liked it although it seemed unorganistic. To some extent that is true here as well, although, to be honest, it may be that it is simply Nielsen's sometimes gawky style that makes the music seem unpianistic in spots.'Theme with Variations, Op. 40' is based on a baroque-sounding theme and for the first few of its fifteen minutes it sounds almost as if it could have been written 150 years ago, but then it begins spinning out of control--the typical Nielsen kind of thing that happens so often in his symphonies. I do not mean anything harsh by 'out of control'; part of Nielsen's charm is his unpredictability, his awkwardness, his inelegant but somehow convincing forays into harmonic and melodic gaucherie--those upside-down trills and tremolos, the polytonality and harmonic uncertainty, the tone clusters, the unexpected frenzy in the midst of calm waters. This description also applies to others of the pieces recorded here.However, two of the pieces--the Humoresque-Bagatelles and the Five Piano Pieces--are much simpler in style and that is probably because, like Schumann in his 'Kinderszenen,' they were written for children. They are tonal, fairly simple to play, but indeed one can still hear Nielsen's unique voice. They are played charmingly here by Enid Katahn, a pianist previously unknown to me.The mostly contemplative 'Chaconne' is also a bit of a throwback, based as it is on a baroque form arising from a ground bass. It seems to be the most 'refined' (read: 'conventional') of the concert pieces here (excluding the pieces for children). Still, there are subtle surprises.The most forward-looking set here is the suite, 'The Lucifer, Op. 45.' There is indeed something devilish about the almost random-sounding explosions of dissonance in the midst of Nielsenian harmonies. There is a kind of deconstruction of thematic elements followed then by a painstaking reconstruction of those elements, rather like a picture getting blurry and then coming back into focus. Really, this work strikes me as containing something unique in Nielsen, a scorching, coruscating fury that is not, I have to believe, given all its due by Katahn. I have, since getting this CD, learned that Norwegian superstar pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has recorded this music. I have not heard it, but I can only imagine that he would bring more bite to those kinds of sections.Although this CD opened my eyes to the possibilities of Nielsen's piano music (and it contains almost all of his piano output), I find myself wanting now to hear what Andsnes has to say on the subject.TT=72:02Scott Morrison