Christian Lindberg
A

International Record Review
Christian Lindberg and the Nordic Chamber Orchestra also get right to the heart of the matter by looking forwards to future symphonic triumphs. Fascinatingly, having given the Nielsen a thorough springclean, Lindberg is inspired by violinist Richard Tognetti to produce the most enraptured and heartfelt rendering of the inexplicicably neglected Svendsen Romance I have ever heard. This is music--making at a truly exalted level. The delight don´t end there, however. Not since encountering a collegium Aureum LP of Francesco Durante´s Concerto grosso some 30 years ago have I been so totally captivated by a recording of obscure eighteenth-century music as this three´movement Overture by Anders Wesström(1720-81).

Music web international
It is fresh, melodic but with some odd twists that make it stand out from the mainstream string repertoire...these musicians must have been playing together for some time. The Intermezzo of the Nielsen Suite is played with elegance and charm and there is glowing intensity in the third movement. Judging from this disc, which I believe is his(Lindberg) first recording as a conductor, he might well rise to the stars even in this profession.

Classical source.com
The Nordic Chamber Orchestra plays with virtuosity, unanimity and feeling, Christian Lindberg (his trombone left at home pro tem) leads an enlivening performance. Excellent renditions and recording complete a very attractive issue.

Klassik Heute
9 out of 10 possible points: Da wird mit einer spontanen, unverbrauchten Frische, wo nötig aber auch mit einer Sensibilität musiziert, daß die einstündige Lektion über sechs markante Profile des Nordens wie im Fluge vergeht.

Mike D. Brownell, Allmusic:
Two familiar names (Nielsen and Sibelius) joined by four much lesser known names end up yielding a wonderful album of Nordic chamber music performed by the Nordic Chamber Orchestra. The eclectic styles are admirably performed by the NCO, lead by Christian Lindberg. Equally at home with the Baroque overture of Anders Wesström through the more modern Concerto Piccolo of Bo Linde, its well-rounded, robust sound belies the small size of the ensemble


Classics Today | May 2007
Nordic Showcase | Nordic Chamber Orchestra

Artistic quality 9 of 10
Sound quality 10 of 10

Both the playing and Lindberg's conducting are uniformly outstanding, particularly in Leifs' quirky Pastoral Variations on a theme of Beethoven, where a tune from the Septet gets taken on a whirlwind tour of Iceland before returning home, evidently having enjoyed itself. There are other delightful discoveries as well: Anders Wesström's (1720-81) overture to Armida is a delicious three-movement tribute to the Mannheim school, full of characterful syncopations in its opening, while Bo Linde's charming, neoclassical Concerto Piccolo pits a sometimes naughty wind quintet against the larger body of strings. Nielsen's Suite and Sibelius' Impromptu, the pieces that bracket this recital, come off graciously while maintaining a nice, firm rhythmic profile. The sonics are also outstanding.
So by all means, go ahead and try this disc, but make a firm promise to give it a whirl more than once, and file it in such a way that you can find it easily when the mood takes you.

David Hurwitz