Emmanuel Pahud, Sabine Meyer - Nielsen: Clarinet & Flute Concertos

An All-star Recording Gives the Rare Opportunity to Hear These Nielsen Concertos on Disc. It was Always Emmanuel Pahud's Dream to Record the Nielsen Flute Concerto, So When it Came to the Recording, the Orchestra Had to Be the Bpo under Rattle of which He is the Principal Flute. Sabine Meyer, Herself also a Former Member of the Bpo and "Primadonna Assoluta of the Clarinet", was the Natural Choice to Partner with Him on the Disc. Critical Acclaim for their Previous Live Performances of Nielsen: "Nielsen Triumphs Thanks to Sabine Meyer" (Tribune De Genéve), "The Flautist Emmanuel Pahud Joined Mr. Harding and Company for a Beautifully Shaped and Sometimes Dramatic Performance of the Nielsen Flute Concerto" (New York Times). Album Details

Nielsen as it should be done!

I have been waiting a long time for Emmanuel Pahud to come out with this recording. His incredible capabilities on the flute itself give him the freedom to draw so much from any piece he plays, but particularly from Nielsen's Flute Concerto. His performance gives a clear image of the scattered flutist Nielsen wrote about (as each concerto was intended to be a portrait of the musicians of the Copenhagen Wind Quintet during that time). Pahud's playing is impeccable. From fast, crisp, lightly articulated passages to beautifully long, luscious phrases, his interpretation is the most convincing I've heard out of the 7 I own.

Sabine Meyer, another superb musician, plays the Clarinet Concerto with a gorgeous sound and great accuracy. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the piece, and I feel the playing sounds almost too contrived, but that could be the intent (as I don't know as much about Nielsen's clarinetist that he wrote it for).

As for the quintet - what an incredible group of musicians! This is another favourite in my books. The group plays together with such ease and all of the voicings are passed around seamlessly. A fine ensemble of musicians playing one of the greatest wind quintets ever written. October 27, 2007

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