Editing Carl Nielsen (section)

=== Orchestral music ===
Nielsen's earliest work composed specifically for orchestra was the immediately successful ''[[Suite for String Orchestra (Nielsen)|Suite for Strings]]'', Op. 1 (1888), which evoked Scandinavian Romanticism as expressed by Grieg and Svendsen.<ref name="Lawson-quartets" /> The work marked an important milestone in Nielsen's career as it was not only his first real success but it was also the first of his pieces he conducted himself when it was played in Odense a month later.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Suite for String Orchestra''|p=vii}}

The ''[[Helios Overture]]'', Op. 17 (1903) stems from Nielsen's stay in Athens which inspired him to compose a work depicting the sun rising and setting over the [[Aegean Sea]].{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Helios''|p=vii}} The score is a showpiece for orchestra, and has been amongst Nielsen's most popular works.<ref>{{harvnb|Hodgetts}}. Helios Overture.</ref> {{lang|da|[[Saga-Drøm]]}} (''Saga Dream''), Op. 39 (1907–08) is a [[symphonic poem|tone poem]] for orchestra based on the Icelandic [[Njál's saga|Njal's Saga]]. In Nielsen's words:{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Orchestral Works 2''|p=xi}}
<blockquote>There are among other things four cadenzas for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and flute which run quite freely alongside one another, with no harmonic connection, and without my marking time. They are just like four streams of thought, each going its own way&nbsp;– differently and randomly for each performance&nbsp;– until they meet in a point of rest, as if flowing into a lock where they are united.</blockquote>

''[[At the Bier of a Young Artist]]'' ({{lang|da|Ved en ung Kunstners Baare}}) for string orchestra was written for the funeral of the Danish painter [[Oluf Hartmann]] in January 1910 and was also played at Nielsen's own funeral.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Orchestral Works 2''|p=xvii}} ''[[Pan and Syrinx]]'' ({{lang|da|Pan og Syrinx}}), a vigorous nine-minute symphonic poem inspired by [[Ovid]]'s ''[[Metamorphoses]]'', was premiered in 1911.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Orchestral Works 2''|p=xxi}} The Rhapsodic Overture, ''[[An Imaginary Trip to the Faroe Islands]]'' ({{lang|da|En Fantasirejse til Færøerne}}), draws on [[Faroe Islands|Faroese]] folk tunes but also contains freely composed sections.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Orchestral Works 2''|p=xxvi}}

Among Nielsen's orchestral works for the stage are ''[[Aladdin (Nielsen)|Aladdin]]'' (1919) and {{lang|da|[[Moderen]]}} (The Mother), Op. 41 (1920). ''Aladdin'' was written to accompany a production of [[Adam Oehlenschläger]]'s fairy tale at The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen. The complete score, lasting over 80 minutes, is Nielsen's longest work apart from his operas, but a shorter orchestral suite consisting of the ''Oriental March'', ''Hindu Dance'' and ''Negro Dance'' is often performed.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Aladdin''|p=xi}} {{lang|da|Moderen}}, written to celebrate the reunification of [[Southern Jutland]] with Denmark, was first performed in 1921; it is a setting of patriotic verses written for the occasion.{{sfn|''Carl Nielsen Edition: Incidental Music 2''|pp=xi–xxviii}}
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