Carl Nielsen

There are so many incredible classic composers from Austria and Germany that sometimes it feels that classic music is an exclusive product of these countries. Well, not exactly. There are certainly some remarkable composers from other countries, albeit at lower numbers.

The scandinavian countries are places that I really like for a variety of reasons, among which their political orientation and philosophy. Well, they also have some great composers. Probably the best scandinavian composer is from Finland, Sibelius, for which I will write at another time. Another favorite of mine is Carl Nielsen from Denmark. His music is clear, crystal clear, crisp, with unique power. Very distinct. His best symphonies are probably symphonies #1 and #3 (*symphonia espansiva*).

Nielsen was born in 1895 and died in 1931. As per Wikipedia "Nielsen was married to the Danish sculptress Anne Marie Brodersen. They had met just a month before in Paris. The couple spent their honeymoon in Italy. They remained married until Nielsen's death, despite a long period of marital strife including a lengthy separation and mutual accusations of infidelity."

Well, I am glad that Newt Gingrich was not around then, because he might have impeached Nielsen for infidelity (as he did with Bill Clinton), and, who knows, he might have succeeded to strip him of his composer credentials :) Well I am glad that Nielsen never met someone like Gingrich, and we now have his unbelievably beautiful symphonies as his legacy.