Herbert Blomstedt’s first Nielsen Symphony cycle has made the rounds of reissues and now appears in its cheapest incarnation yet. All of these performances were surpassed, by and large, by his San Francisco remakes (now on Decca Doubles for the same price as these), which feature better playing, better sonics, and generally a bolder and livelier guiding hand from the podium. Still, there are things here to enjoy. For example, Blomstedt doesn’t make quite such a meal out of Symphony No. 4’s closing bars, with those exaggerated diminuendos and ritards, and that’s all to the good; and while the “Espansiva” lacks the energy of its successor, it offers an abundance of pastoral charm, particularly in the two inner movements. The first two symphonies, however, simply sound more incisive and exciting on Decca in all respects. So while I can’t really recommend this set over the San Francisco remakes, if you do buy it or otherwise wind up owning it somehow, you shouldn’t be too upset.
