Thursday, January 12, 2017

Nielsen: Aladdin Suite (Felumb)

This week I present what appears to be the first recording of an orchestral work of Carl Nielsen to occupy more than one record (perhaps, even, more than one side) - five movements from his 1919 incidental music to Adam Oehlenschläger's "dramatic fairy tale" Aladdin. It isn't a work of blazing importance in his oeuvre, perhaps, but it is a lot of fun, and has all the quirkiness I find to be characteristic of Nielsen's music. Outstanding is the section entitled "Torvet i Ispahan" (The Market Place at Ispahan), in which four different sections of the orchestra play simultaneously at different speeds! It's conducted here by Svend Christian Felumb (1898-1872) who, one week before this recording was made, played oboe and English horn on the seminal recording of Nielsen's Wind Quintet.

Nielsen: Suite from the Incidental Music for "Aladdin" (Op. 34)
Tivoli Concert Orchestra conducted by Svend Christian Felumb
Recorded January 31, 1936
and
Nielsen: Maskarade - Prelude to Act II
Royal Danish Opera Orchestra conducted by Johan Hye-Knudsen
Recorded c. February 1936
HMV X 4676, Z 231 and Z 232, one 10-inch and two 12-inch 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC files, 55.76 MB)
Link (MP3 files, 34.72 MB)

5 comments:

  1. Alternate links:

    FLAC:
    http://www.mediafire.com/file/j9573u66d2jw9x2/Felumb_-_Nielsen_Aladdin_Suite_FLACs.zip

    MP3:
    http://www.mediafire.com/file/v6z16h4x8o1udwx/Felumb_-_Nielsen_Aladdin_Suite_MP3s.zip

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am a great Nielsen enthusiast, but Svend Christian Felumb is a new name for me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vol 2 of Danacord's collection of Nielsen historic recordings has the Aladdin Music (7 selections) by the same forces from 1953

      Delete
  3. Thanks from me too - I love the Aladdin Suite and the Maskarade Preludes, so it'll be great to hear these early recordings! All the best, Nick

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fascinating stuff.

    Appreciate you sharing it.

    Cheers,

    Douglas (UK)

    ReplyDelete