Complete Symphonies [Import]

Older readers -- put aside visions of home appliances and "The Life of Riley." This is VICTOR Bendix (1851-1926), an unjustly neglected Danish composer (Imagine needing a Belarussian orchestra to record Danish symphonies) who is very much worth getting to know -- and what better way to begin an acquaintance than with his complete symphonies?

I'm only going to summarize here, because Google can easily lead you to much more detailed professional reviews. What I want to do is pique your interest. Bendix is more conservative than you'd expect from someone only a decade older than Mahler and Richard Strauss. He's an unvarnished conventional romantic, and the interest in his music lies not in its originality but its excellent use of standard materials.

Bendix studied with Gade, and I suspect that Gade would have been proud of these works had he composed them. Similarly, Nielsen was an admirer of Bendix and appears to have been somewhat influenced by him, but he became far more adventurous than Bendix (and was obviously the greater composer). Still, those aren't bad bookends to find oneself between, and Bendix holds up reasonably well even if he can't fully compare to either.

So why listen to this stuff? Because it's tuneful, nicely structured, well orchestrated, and just plain fun to listen to. Within the framework of the romantic symphony it treats the listener to a variety of tempos, dynamics, and harmonies. Several of the themes are attractive, if not truly memorable. If Grieg had written more than his one early symphony, this is probably the sort of thing he'd have produced in his maturity. Svendsen, the younger Nielsen, and -- yes -- Gade are also good analogues.

The performances aren't ideal, and the Belarussian orchestra sometimes sounds a little thin (one professional critic savages both performances and sonics), but they seem to have the hang of Bendix's romantic idiom. I'm no golden ear, so I can't critique the sonics beyond telling you that they don't affect my enjoyment.

But don't take my word for it. Read some of those professional reviews and discover that the pros like this music as much as I do. This is the sort of album you'll play through three or four times in a row if you're not careful. It's become one of my favorites. It can be one of yours.