Works arr. Piano Four Hands
Rikke Sandberg, Kristoffer Hyldig (piano)
OUR Recordings 8.226923 45:44mins
Four hand piano transcriptions of great symphonies can reveal aspects of the works we might have missed in orchestral performances. And so it is with Rikke Sandberg's unearthing of Nielsen's bracing Third Symphony, the 'Espansiva', in a version made by the composer himself. Its only companions in that respect are the slight but jolly Hojby Rifle Club March and two purely orchestral numbers from the opera Saul and David which seemed to call for more fingers than the rest of Henrik Knudsen's piano score. They're vintage Nielsen, too. The insights aren't so much in the extrovert passages - the volcanic opening of the first movement really does call for full-force unisons, and the sound keeps its distance - as in the twilight zones and all the symphonic metamorphoses of each movement. I hadn't, for instance, really understood the transformation of previous material when the natural scene of the Andante pastorale reaches its proper haven, probably because attention usually goes to the wordless soprano and baritone melismas. Those don't appear here - it would be good in future performances if the pianists could dare to sing them, or draft in musical friends - but focus is on how everything resolves and melts. The ensuing not-quite-scherzo is an endless source of fascination, too. Sandberg and her fellow pianist Kristoffer Hyldig have thought about and worked through every aspect, and part of that care is the marvelous idea of using two pianos rather than four hands at one: a Steinway for the clarity of the upper register, a Fazioli for left hand riches. BBC Music Magazine October 29th (December Issue) David Nice
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