You might be surprised to find an obscure composer within the DEFINITIVE recordings. That's because I was very pleasantly surprised myself when I first heard this wonderful symphony.

Schierbeck studied under Nielsen and was therefore influenced by him, but posseses his own unique voice and writing style. The symphony was actually conducted by Carl Nielsen in 1922 and very well received by the public and critics alike. What struck me as exceptional in this work is the very simple yet wonderful slow movement. The whole movement is developed around a 2 note motif and a 3 note motif that seem to compliment each other, and very gradually over a period of about eleven minutes, transform the mood from sad and melancholy to bright and uplifting, and all of this happens almost subconsciously. The effect is very striking and shows that Schierbeck had talent and great potential. Unfortunately for us he only wrote one symphony. He held a post as organist in Denmark most of his life and devoted most of his composition to organ and choral works. Expand your CD collection by giving this one a try. You will not regret your choice.

Jean-Yves Duperron