This landmark triple CD release presents for the first time the complete solo piano works of Denmark’s national composer, Carl Nielsen, performed by one of the country’s most distinguished and visionary pianists, Rikke Sandberg. She has worked with Nielsen’s music since she began playing the piano as a child, and her teachers form an unbroken lineage back to the pianists for whom Nielsen originally wrote his piano works. On this release, you will find Nielsen’s original piano music as well as his own arrangements of his compositions. All of Nielsen’s solo piano music is included.

The Danish press has repeatedly celebrated her artistic integrity. Politiken writes: “She gathers torrents of notes into long, breathing arcs with sharply etched detail and colourful nuance… First and foremost she is an artist; display does not interest her.” The same paper concludes: “Few Danish pianists make as great a difference in our musical life as she does.” Jyllands-Posten praises her “richly nuanced and superbly controlled playing,” while international critics highlight interpretations where “nothing sounds overheated or overplayed… full of fire and sparkling esprit… with such restrained dynamics that one’s breath is taken away.”

At the heart of Sandberg’s artistry stands the great Romantic tradition, notably her acclaimed interpretations of Johannes Brahms, alongside a profound commitment to twentieth-century and contemporary Danish music. Now, that lifelong dialogue between heritage and renewal culminates in Nielsen’s piano oeuvre: music of rhythmic vitality, bold architecture, folk-like simplicity, and daring modernity. Spanning nearly forty years, from intimate miniatures to monumental works, this edition reveals Nielsen in his full creative breadth.

More than a recording, this is a definitive artistic statement, and the ultimate document of Carl Nielsen’s piano world.

Content:
01 Welcome to Della Grazia, Little Marie! 
02 Chaconne Op. 32 
03 Five Piano Pieces Op. 3 - Folk Tune 
04 Five Piano Pieces Op. 3 - Humoresque 
05 Five Piano Pieces Op. 3 - Arabesque 
06 Five Piano Pieces Op. 3 - Mignon 
07 Five Piano Pieces Op. 3 - Elfs Dance 
08 Symphonic Suite Op. 8 - I Intonation, Maestoso 
09 Symphonic Suite Op. 8 - II Quasi Allegretto 
10 Symphonic Suite Op. 8 - III Andante 
11 Symphonic Suite Op. 8 - IV Finale, Allegro 
12 11 Small Piano Pieces - Norwegian Folk Dance 
13 11 Small Piano Pieces - Andante 
14 11 Small Piano Pieces - Piano Piece 
15 11 Small Piano Pieces - Peasant Dance, Polka 
16 11 Small Piano Pieces - Allegretto 
17 11 Small Piano Pieces - Unnamed Piece 
18 11 Small Piano Pieces - Minuet 
19 11 Small Piano Pieces - Unnamed Piece 
20 11 Small Piano Pieces - Andantino 
21 11 Small Piano Pieces - Unnamed Piece 
22 11 Small Piano Pieces - A Little Piano Piece 
23 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - I Allegretto 
24 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - II Andantino quasi Allegretto 
25 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - IIIa Allegro scherzoso 
26 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - IIIb Grazioso 
27 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - IV Andantino 
28 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - V Allegro giocoso 
29 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - VI Poco lamentoso 
30 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - VII Marziale 
31 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - VIII Cantabile 
32 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - IX Allegretto civettuolo 
33 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - X Lugubre 
34 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XI Andante poco tiepido 
35 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XII Adagio drammatico 
36 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XIII Andantino carino 
37 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XIV Capriccioso 
38 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XV Adagio espressivo 
39 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XVI Alla contadino 
40 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XVII Largo con fantasia 
41 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XVIII Preludio - Andante 
42 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XIX Adagio 
43 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XX Con sentimento 
44 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XXI Marcia di goffo 
45 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XXII Allegretto Pastorale 
46 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XXIII Etude - Allegro 
47 Piano Music for Young and Old Op. 53 - XXIV Molto adagio - Allegretto commodo 
48 Prelude for the New Century 
49 Three Piano Pieces Op. 59 - Impromptu - Allegro fluente 
50 Three Piano Pieces Op. 59 - Molto adagio 
51 Three Piano Pieces Op. 59 - Allegro non Troppo 
52 Theme with Variations Op. 40 
53 Piano Piece 
54 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - Good Day! Good Day! 
55 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - The Spinning Top 
56 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - A Little Slow Waltz 
57 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - The Jumping Jack 
58 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - Doll's March 
59 Humoresque-Bagatelles Op. 11 - The Musical Clock 
60 Two Character Pieces - Andante con moto 
61 Two Character Pieces - Andante quasi allegretto 
62 Suite Op. 45 - The Luciferian - Allegretto un pochettino 
63 Suite Op. 45 - The Luciferian - Poco moderato 
64 Suite Op. 45 - The Luciferian - Molto adagio e patetico 
65 Suite Op. 45 - The Luciferian - Allegretto innocente 
66 Suite Op. 45 - The Luciferian - Allegretto vivo 
67 Suite Op. 45 - Allegro non troppo ma vigoroso 
68 The Dream about Silent Night 
69 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - The Mist is Lifting 
70 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - Gramophone-Waltz 
71 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - Prelude to Scene Four 
72 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - Minuet 
73 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - Prelude to Scene Seven 
74 Excerpts from The Mother for Piano - March 
75 Dance of the Handmaidens from Hagbarth and Signe 
76 Prelude to Snefrid for Piano 
77 Elves Dance from Sir Oluf He Rides 
78 Music for Otto Benzons Play Parents 
79 Oriental Festival March 
80 Dances from Aladdin for Piano - Chinese Dance 
81 Dances from Aladdin for Piano - Prisoners' Dance 
82 Dances from Aladdin for Piano - Hindu Dance 
83 Dances from Aladdin for Piano - African Dance 
84 Dances from Aladdin for Piano - Dance of the Morning Mists