A cheerful reference to the bipolar disorder the soloist suffers from. That’s how the many mood swings in the Clarinet Concerto by Carl Nielsen are often described. Anna voor de Wind characterises the work as “a capricious concerto full of trolls, giants and Scandinavian fairy tale characters.” She will play the concerto on 6, 7 and 8 August at the NJO Muziekzomer 2010 where she is young artist in residence.

“It is an excellent opportunity to present myself,” says the clarinettist who has just completed her studies. Not only will she be the soloist in Nielsen’s concerto, but she will also premiere a new work that composer in residence Marc Anthony Turnage has written for her. She thinks this is a challenge. Voor de Wind has a soft spot for contemporary music. Therefore she will be attending the Academy by Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt next year. “I have been taught by musicians who play in an orchestra and when it comes to contemporary music, I don’t think I am good enough yet.” 

Nevertheless, the choice of playing Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto also comes from a desire to stray off the beaten track. “The only restriction was that the concerto should not require too large an ensemble,” she explains her choice. “I didn’t want to play something as obvious as the concerto by Mozart or Weber. And then you soon arrive at Nielsen.”

Restless poetry

Nielsen wrote his concerto in 1928 for the Danish clarinettist Aage Oxenvad after hearing the Copenhagen Wind Quintet play. He wrote a quintet for this ensemble and then he decided to write a solo concerto for each of its five members. However, he didn’t get further than the Flute Concerto (1926) and the Clarinet Concerto. The one-part clarinet concerto in particular was received well immediately. The critic of the Danish daily Politiken wrote: “Nielsen has freed the soul of the clarinet. Not only the wild, beast-like aspect, but also that special restless poetry.”

“It is a fairly nationalistic work,” says voor de Wind. “The Scandinavian aspect plays an important role. Trolls, giants, the atmosphere of Scandinavian fairy tales, it is all there. What’s more, it is an incredibly difficult work. Oxenvad often complained that Nielsen simply had to be able to play the clarinet, because he systematically used the notes that were most difficult to play. He once said that he would be happy if he could get 80 percent of the notes right. Nowadays the instruments have been improved a lot, but still it is very difficult.”

Not only the notes are challenging, but also the capricious character of the work. “Nielsen switches at top speed from capricious and fierce passages with an aggressive snare drum to beautiful lyrical moments. It is these changes that make the concerto so special. It’s a very virtuosic piece, and yet it is not all about virtuosity. The work has a deeper meaning, which needs to be conveyed.”

Voor de Wind thinks it is a pity that there are no recordings by Oxenvad. “Because he is the musician for whom the work was written. Oxenvad was also very much into Danish nationalism, into Danish folklore. With him we lost part of the specifically Danish character that Nielsen envisioned.”

To get a feel of this atmosphere, Voor de Wind likes to listen to recordings of Scandinavian clarinettists such as Kjell-Inge Stevensson (EMI Classics) and Niels Thomsen (Chandos). They come closest to the atmosphere Nielsen must have had in mind. And that’s what she wants to convey. “It is one of the most demanding concertos in the repertory, but if the meaning gets across it is also one of the most beautiful.”