Niels Viggo Bentzon(1919-2000): the symphonies and concertos

[Dundonnell]

Niels Viggo Bentzon, the prolific Danish composer, was really more than prolific.....he was quite exceptionally profusive There are almost 700 opus numbers

To try to make sense of the torrential output is well nigh impossible but here is a provisional attempt to list his symphonies and concertos:

Symphony No.1, op.22
Symphony No.2 for piano and orchestra, op.36 (1945)  (available on this site)
Symphony No.3, op.46 (1947)   (Dacapo cd)
Symphony No.4 "Metamorphosis", op.55 (1948) (Dacapo cd)
Symphony No.5 "Ellipser", op.61 (1950)  (Dacapo cd)
Symphony No.6 "Sinfonia Piccola", op.66(1950)  (available on this site)
Symphony No.7 "The Three Versions", op.83 (1952) (Dacapo cd)
Symphony No.8 "Sinfonia Discrezione", op.113 (1957) (dacapo cd)
Symphony No.9 "Aero", op.126 (1960)
Symphony No.10 "Den Hymniske", op.150 (1963)
Symphony No.11 "Salzburg", op.158 (1964)
Symphony No.12 "Tunis", op.166 (1964)
Symphony No.13 "Military", op.181 (1965)
Symphony No.14 (incomplete)
Symphony No.15 "Marrakesh", op.432 (1980)
Symphony No.16, op.509 (1987)
Symphony No.17, op.522 (1988)
Symphony No.18, op.523 (1988)
Symphony No.19, op.524 (1989)
Symphony No.20, op.525
Symphony No.21 "Niels Ebbesen", op.526
Symphony No.22, op.527
Symphony No.23 "Kaldet Piraeus", op.556
Symphony No.24, op.597

Piano Concerto No.1, op.49
Piano Concerto No.2, op.69
Piano Concerto No.3, op.87 (1952)
Piano Concerto No.4, op.96 (1954) (Dacapo cd)
Piano Concerto No.5, op.149 (1963)
Piano Concerto No.6, op.195
Piano Concerto No.7, op.243
Piano Concerto No.8, op.450 (1982)
Piccola Concerto for Piano and Strings, op.69
Symphonic Fantasy for Two Pianos and Orchestra, op.119(1963)
Double Piano Concerto, op.482 (1985)
Violin Concerto No.1, op.70
Violin Concerto No.2, op.136 (1961) (Danacord cd)
Violin Concerto No.3 "Paganini Concerto" (incomplete)
Violin Concerto No.3 (new), op.453
Violin Concerto No.4, op.374 (1975)
Viola Concerto, op.303 (1972)
Cello Concerto No.1, op.106 (1956)
Cello Concerto No.2, op.311 (1974)
Cello Concerto No.3, op.444
Flute Concerto No.1, op.147 (1963)
Flute Concerto, No.2, op.386 (1976)
Flute Concerto No.3, op.388(1976)
Oboe Concerto, op.74 (1951)
Baroque Concerto for Oboe and strings, op.419
Clarinet ConcertoNo.1, op.269
Clarinet Concerto No.2, op.375(1975)
Triple Concerto for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon, op.94(1953)
Horn Concerto, op.335 (1981)
Tuba Concerto, op.373 (1975)
Accordian Concerto, op.146
Sinfonia Concertante No.1 for six accordians and orchestra, op.178(1965)
Sinfonia Concertante No.2 for wind quintet and orchestra, op.390(1976)

There are other works for solo instruments and various smaller, chamber ensembles..........but enough is enough for the time being

[UB1]

In a thread many years ago a friend and myself came up with the idea that Bentzon is the Danish equivalent to Poulenc. Never heard a work of his I did not enjoy and two hours later could not remember much about it except it was enjoyable. At one time there was a lot of his music available on LP - not sure what is available now.

[isokani]

Not orchestral, but I have played a Concertino for two pianos. It had the rather bizarre title "Flesh and Bones". Just about to play another 2-piano piece by NVB called EXPLOSIONS!!

[Delicious Manager]

My first experience of Bentzon was through an old Turnabout LP (remember them?)(TV 34374S) which featured the Chamber Concerto for 11 instruments, Op 52 and the Symphonic Variations, Op 92. I enjoyed the music then, but it was many, many years before I further explored his music by way of two Da Capo CDs of The Piano Concerto No 4, Op 96 and Five Mobiles, Op 125 (8.224110) and  the Third and Fourth Symphonies (Opp 46 & 55)(DCCD 9102). For such a prolific composer, I find Bentzon's music surprisingly consistent and of a high quality (although, of course, these represent only a tiny fragment of his output).

[Dundonnell]

We are promised a positive torrent of Bentzon symphonies for download on this site in the future

[Latvian]

We are promised a positive torrent of Bentzon symphonies for download on this site in the future

Bring them on!

[caostotale]

For anybody who still cares, a while back I updated Bentzon's English Wikipedia listing to include my best attempt at enumerating (and translating the titles) all his life's work. Most of this was assembled from info that I found on Danish National Library sites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niels_Viggo_Bentzon

From what I've gathered from asking around, the bulk of his work will likely remain obscured until performers/scholars are willing to travel to Denmark and reassess the boxes of scores at the Danish National Library. His publishers (EWH) are more obstructive than helpful, as they don't even distribute most of the stuff they hold copyrights on.

[Dundonnell]

Congratulations on a tremendous achievement That must have been a formidably difficult task. Not many modern composers get to 200 opus numbers, let alone well over 650

We have been very fortunate in having access here to so many Bentzon symphonies- nine, in fact, in addition to the five on cd.

I hope that one day more of the concertos can be added

[caostotale]

I think some of his string quartets were recorded on LPs back in the day, but none of them are on CD yet. I would love it if the Kontra Quartet (who recorded Norgard's first 6 and all of Holmboe's 20-odd quartets) took up the task of laying down Bentzon's considerably large cycle.

The discs that have been released with his brass and saxophone sonatas are both excellent as well.