Ludolf Tonalis (Nielsen)

[Richergar]

Sorry, I love cheesy titles. Live with it <g>

It is wonderful to see that virtually anyone I come up with  has been explored before here, or so it seems, and there have been stray comments in the archives for a while, as well as a compilation of Nielsen's work, which is quite helpful.

Simply put, I think his work in the Third Symphony reminds me of what Mahler said about 'his' work embracing the entire world, and listening to some of his chamber music this morning on You Tube doesn't make me feel he's much inferior (sic) to his eponymous namesake, although it seems to have been a strange career indeed.  The symphony could be criticized as not particularly adventurous in form - something I don't think anyone would say of Carl - but the chamber music doesn't have that limitation and is quite bracing.

Apparently the 3rd symphony (according to program notes for the first performance outside of Denmark, in the US in 1999) was cut down in length and orchestration under Nielsen's authority in order to try to get more performances (predictably that didn't work) and that's the version we have on recording, but there seems to be a new edition (relatively) and that was what was performed in 1999.

Any other thoughts or experiences with this guy's music?

Many thanks
Richard

[Alan Howe]

For clarity's sake I've decided to modify this (otherwise somewhat obscure) thread title. Sorry...

[Richergar]

Not a problem - I'd have done it if I'd thought of it <g>. Thanks.

BTW, a bit of investigation on You Tube shows that there is a bit of the original orchestration from that US performance available.

[eschiss1]

Even more eponymous considering that his full name, I'm told, was Carl Ludolf Nielsen...
(Some of my favorite works by the more famous Nielsen are interesting less for their form than other things. His early songs, for instance. But anyways...)
I think I've heard two of Ludolf Nielsen's symphonies and maybe a chamber work, and skimmed a few things (piano score of the 2nd symphony, not sure if I've heard either of the recordings of that one yet... I think I have heard the first and third at least once each though), but really all in all not that much.

I see that part of his Lackschmi, Op.45 will be broadcast on the Seattle station KING-FM tomorrow afternoon (4:32 am PST/7:32 am EST/1232 (12:32pm) GMT? (edit) (KINGFM schedule))  (from the cpo recording, not a new studio recording) - I'll try to catch that, I think... (I live on the other coast of the US but that station web-streams). (Radiowavetuner.com is good for catching things like that when one wants to hear more music by someone ; has good search features and its "bot" covers lots of stations.

[Balapoel]

I enjoy Ludolf Nielsen's work, particularly the orchestral and chamber works (far more than his nearly exact contemporary Carl Nielsen). In general, he provides lush, romantic, fare with deft woodwind work and with interesting orchestration (check out Skovvandring (Forest Walk), Op. 40 (1914). But, he doesn't fall into the highest tier in terms of originality (he reminds me of Gade, but with a bit more verve) - but that's okay.

[chill319]

The third symphony strikes me as Ludolf's best, and I find it startling that a work of this distinction has not been published in Denmark. To my taste, the best side of Ludolf's music making can be seen in the last movement. He sets his sights on an exalted catharsis and doesn't deviate from his pursuit of that goal until he has reached it. There are not that many composers who have followed such a taut line of musical argument, especially not many composers who, like Ludolf, have a natural tendency to sing pastoral tunes. This is uncommon music, and I listen to it with grateful pleasure several times a year.

Where, for me, Ludolf falls short of Mahler, not to mention his own compatriot Carl, is in the means he uses in pursuit of his exalted goal. Too often (and here I am referring to his symphonies generally) high strings are assigned the bulk of developmental argument, also too often with standard sequences of phrases that are motivically cogent yet not really revealing of a greater whole. In the greatest composers, there is a more potent element of discovery and also a sense that the whole torso of the orchestra is involved in the unfolding of the musical Hauptstimmen.

That said, not many composers have achieved catharsis to the degree Ludolf does in the finale of his third. Further, I write knowing only one performance of the third symphony. It is a fine recording, but that doesn't mean that another sympathetic conductor of genius could not find more diverse ways to play it that would result in its making an even stronger impression.

[eschiss1]

Symphony 3: Ødense Centralbibliotek __does__ a score -- though from the information in their library card-catalog (
Symfoni nr 3, C-dur, opus 32
. - S. l. : s. n., 1913. - \Partitur\ (125 sider) ) (78.411)


it's hard to tell if it's published without determinable publisher information (maybe the title page was lost in handling and no other page contains enough info - e.g. plate number from whose plate-style a publisher could at least be guessed, and which could be fit into, say, Wilhelm Hansen's plate tables for further... well, long tangential libraryish story) or if it's a manuscript (whether autograph or ms-copy).

Edit: (if he'd been the greater composer I suppose we'd have Magister Ludolfi to speak of.)