Of the countless composers whose works are unjustifiably underplayed, Carl Nielsen certainly deserves to be somewhere near the top of that list. Thanks to Dacapo records, listeners are being given an opportunity to be exposed to Nielsen's chamber music output. This second volume features the two sonatas for violin and piano and Nielsen's two works for solo violin. The sonatas in particular were met with harsh criticism during Nielsen's time for his rather abrupt and radical key changes, which must have been difficult to digest for audiences at the time. Nowadays, a change from A major to F minor hardly seems shocking; on the contrary, the frequent changes in color keep listeners' interest up throughout the sonatas. Violinist
Jon Gjesme and pianist Jens Elvekjær perform the two sonatas, generally to great satisfaction. The interplay and balance between the two musicians is quite enjoyable.
Gjesme's sound is almost always pleasing...almost. When the technical demands of the works become exceptionally high, however,
Gjesme seems to struggle with maintaining the same sweet, warm sound quality he produces in less technically demanding passages. The two works for solo violin are performed by Tue Lautrup. Despite the extreme technical demands of these works, Lautrup is able to deliver a completely even, smooth performance, tossing off even the most difficult of passages with apparent ease while still producing a pleasing sound quality. Listeners still unfamiliar with any of Nielsen's works would do well to choose this CD as a springboard into his vast compositional output.