“Alberto is a leading talent of his generation" - Emmanuel Pahud Flautist. Alberto Navarra gained notable recognition in the Spring of 2022, winning the Carl Nielsen International Flute Competition in Odense (Denmark), following recent competition successes in Italy and Romania. As a member of the Berlin Philharmonic's Karajan Akademie, Alberto currently holds the position of ""Solo-Flöte mit 2./3. Flöte"" with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. For his debut album Navarra is joined by harpist Claudia Lucia Lamanna and the Odense Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Holly Hyun Choe, for Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp, as well as flute concertos by Carl Reinecke and Carl Nielsen."

Orchid Classics presents one of two releases showcasing winners of the Carl Nielsen Competition 2019. Praised by Bachtrack for the “subtle elegance” and “luminous joy” of her performances, French flautist Joséphine Olech trained with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Academy and is currently principal flute of the Rotterdam Philharmonic. For her first concerto recording with the Odense Symphony Orchestra and conductor Anna Skryleva, Joséphine Olech chose a trio of 20th-century works reflecting countries with which she feels a personal connection as an artist: Nielsen’s beautiful, witty Flute Concerto (1926); the scintillating Flute Concerto No. 1 (1902) by Dutch composer Theodor Verhey, and Jean Françaix’s dazzling Flute Concerto of 1966.

Orchid Classics presents one of two releases showcasing winners of the Carl Nielsen Competition 2019. Hailed as ‘One to Watch’ by Gramophone magazine, Slovenian clarinettist Blaž Šparovec was praised by jury member Michael Collins as “the deserving winner … he showed immense qualities from the start and is able to communicate with the audience his joy of music-making. His technical skill and warm sound will make him stand out as a true individual.” With the Odense Symphony Orchestra, Blaž Šparovec performs four masterpieces: Debussy’s breathtaking Première rhapsodie, written as a competition piece for the Paris Conservatoire; Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto, often described as the greatest of the 20th century; Lutosławski’s folk-like Dance Preludes; and Copland’s demanding, jazzy Clarinet Concerto, performed in its original state – unaltered by simplifications made by its dedicatee, Benny Goodman.

Carl Nielsen’s incidental music The Mother was written for a gala celebrating the reunification of Southern Jutland with Denmark. The score first appeared in print in 2007 and has never been recorded in its entirety. This recording places the music in the right context for the first time, therefore providing us with a new picture of Carl Nielsen as a composer for the theatre. Carl Nielsen uses familiar songs in the play, including the Danish national anthem as well as a curious use of the national anthems from the allied countries that, with their attacks on Germany, determined the fate of Southern Jutland.