Pan and Syrinx

Pan and Syrinx, Op. 49, is a symphonic poem for orchestra written from 1917 to 1918 by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen. The piece received its premiere at the Odd Fellows Mansion in Copenhagen on 11 February 1918, with Nielsen conducting Orchestra of the Music Society.

Background

As late as 23 January 1918, in a letter to Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar, Nielsen explained that although he had included Pan and Syrinx in his concert on 11 February, he had not yet written a single note. It appears, however, that he had been thinking about the piece for some time, ever since he and his wife Anne Marie had discussed Ovid's Metamorphoses the previous year, inspiring him to compose the music. He did however manage to complete the score by 6 February.
In addition to Pan and Syrinx, the concert which was devoted to works by Nielsen over almost 20 years, included the prelude to Act Two of Saul and David, Sleep and the Fourth Symphony, all conducted by Nielsen himself, as well as Chaconne for Piano played by Christian Christiansen.

Reception

Pan and Syrinx was particularly well received. Writing in Politken, Charles Kjerulf first alluded to its "Gallic, quite Debussyesque" quality before praising its feeling of renewal, development and mastery. He ended even more gushingly: "For each note that was added it became more and more sublime. And when in the end the very highest and very lowest notes of the orchestra were sounded right up against each other in the violin harmonics and double-basses... then the rejoicing broke out quite spontaneously." The other reviews were also positive.
The work was frequently played in Scandinavia during Nielsen's lifetime. When the composer
planned a concert programme, he often chose to perform Saga Dream and Pan and Syrinx on the same occasion.

Instrumentation

Pan and Syrinx is scored for the following instruments, organized by family :

2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons
4 horns, 2 trumpets, and 2 trombones
Timpani, bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, raganella, glockenspiel, and xylophone
Violins, violas, cellos, and double basses

Music

The nine-minute symphonic poem is based on the ancient legend which tells how the amorous god Pan invented the pan flute when following the nymph Syrinx. Syrinx ran to the river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when the god's frustrated breath blew across them. Pan cut the reeds to fashion the first set of pan pipes, which were thenceforth known as syrinx.
As the piece features Syrinx it obviously has major parts for woodwind solos. The music was written at the height of Nielsen's powers as a composer, shortly after he finished the Fourth Symphony. It is a vigorous, pretty, and poetic work.

Discography

The table below lists commercially available recordings of Pan and Syrinx:

	Conductor	Ensemble		Time	Recording venue	Label
1			1956	7:19	Danish Radio Concert Hall	Danacord
2			1959	7:16	Danish Radio Concert Hall	Danacord
3		Philadelphia Orchestra	1967	8:14	Town Hall, Philadelphia	Sony Classical
4			1975	8:36	Danish Radio Concert Hall	EMI Classics
5		Scottish National Orchestra	1979	8:43	Glasgow City Hall	Chandos
6		City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra	1984	8:26	Warwick Arts Centre	EMI Classics
7		Odense Symphony Orchestra	1988	8:36		Regis
8		Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra	1989	8:30	Berwald Hall	CBS Masterworks
9			1993	8:33	Danish Radio Concert Hall	Chandos
10		Odense Symphony Orchestra	1994	9:24		Kontrapunkt
11			1994	8:08	deSingel	Harmonia Mundi
12		Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra	1995	8:59	Gothenburg Concert Hall	Deutsche Grammophon
13			2002	9:10	Musikhuset, Sønderborg	Naxos
14		Aarhus Symphony Orchestra	2004	8:46	Frichsparker, Aarhus	MSR Classics
15			2005	7:28	Philharmonie, Pardubice	Classico
16		Lahti Symphony Orchestra	2006	7:49	Sibelius Hall	BIS
17			2006	8:43	Danish Radio Concert Hall	Dacapo
18		Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra	2023	8:29	Grieg Hall	Chandos