Raff: Piano Works, Vol. 4

Joachim Raff's piano compositions earned him considerable acclaim in his lifetime. - Bla�tter und Blu�ten's (Leaves and Blossoms) four volumes consist of twelve deliciously melodic and colorful depictions of the then popular vogue for 'The Language of Flowers'. - The late Grande Sonate by contrast is one of Raff's major statements. - Conceived on a quasi-symphonic scale, it's sonorous gravity and breadth encompass a bleak nobility that represents the culmination of his writing for the piano. - Ms. Tra Nguyen's previous recordings of Raff's piano music have earned her wide critical acclaim.

Regarded at the height of his career as the foremost symphonist of his day, the young Joseph Joachim Raff was rescued from penury by Liszt, and the lyrical and self-assured Six Poemes were dedicated to his famous amanuensis as a gesture of gratitude. The Fantasie Op. 142 is a powerful example of Raff's mature piano music, while the Erinnerung an Venedig paints an effective sound picture with economy of language and distinctive harmonic piquancy.

Towards the end of his life, Joachim Raff began a project that could not have been expected from this artist, who was all too often labeled (and misunderstood) as a prolific writer – an oratorio on the 'World's End, Judgement and New World', as depicted in the vision of St. John. It was a mighty undertaking, with which he wanted to produce an opus magnum to complete his already huge oeuvre – and succeeded in doing so. The musical course of events is focused on the Book with Seven Seals, the apocalypse interwoven with blistering, seemingly inexplicable images, which the composer reveals primarily through the character of John; occasionally an angelic soprano voice joins in, as do grand choral scenes, suggestive orchestral interludes and psalm chants – the last judgement on Joachim Raff puts an end to old prejudices.

Classical Music

Having written 11+ very fine romantic symphonies but never getting them played in concert? That’s Raff: Joachim Raff, sometime assistant and orchestrator to Franz Liszt. If the symphonies haven’t yet quite done the trick, maybe his a capella music will. It shows Raff at his most diverse and imaginative best. Vacillating between small-r republican liberalism and intellectual Catholicism, he wrote sacred works and secular political songs of awakening alike. Translated into music, this meant that he drew on the Romantic vernacular of the time but could combine it with his very own take on the Cecilian revival of renaissance polyphony in a way rivaled only decades later, by Hans Pfitzner.

REVIEW:

Joseph Joachim Raff (1822–1882) was born in Lachen, Switzerland. Musically, he was largely self-taught. Musician friendships connected him with Hans von Bülow, Joseph Joachim, Franz Liszt and Felix Mendelssohn. His extensive output includes more than 300 compositions, including 11 symphonies, 6 operas, several solo concertos, chamber music and also, to a more modest extent, choral music. The first compositions of this genre had impressed Liszt, who believed Raff had the potential for a composer of sacred music. But the latter did not follow his mentor with much enthusiasm. The critical Christian was not particularly interested in religion. But then, while rediscovering the catholic faith, he nevertheless took a liking to the idea and composed large choral works with orchestra and also the sacred pieces that can be heard on this CD, but which are preceded by the cycle of Zehn Gesänge. These are sung by the Basel Madrigalists very finely and lively, without pathos. And if the human voice and the manifold possibilities of the choir spurred Raff’s imagination very much, the Basler do justice to the extraordinary richness of color and the various moods of the songs very well.

The extent to which Raff exploited the entire choral sound spectrum in a differentiated manner is also shown by the sacred works, which are sung by the Basel choir very sensitively, but without incense. They hit the simple character of the works without neglecting their hymnal upswing or, where necessary, the spiritualized, divine expression. Technically, the choir sings at a very high level, lean, with suppleness and the best possible balance.

-- Pizzicato

Previously released on Marco Polo (8.223455). Joachim Raff’s Fifth Symphony is one of his most popular works in the genre. The overture Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott uses Martin Luther’s famous melody to commemorate the drama of the Thirty Years’ War. This release follows on from the reissue of Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 by the same forces in July (8.555499).

Joachim Raff’s symphonies present a synthesis of pure music and the programmatic elements of the neo-German school. His eighth symphony, 'Frühlingsklänge' ('Sounds of Spring'), was followed shortly by his ninth, Im Sommer ('In Summer'), forming a celebration of spring and summer that are part of a set that make up the four seasons. Previously released instalments include: Symphony No. 1, 'An das Vaterland' ('To the Fatherland') can be heard on 8555411 and Nos. 3, 'Im Walde' ('In the Forest') and 10, 'Zur Herbstzeit' ('In Autumn') on 8555491.

Tradition and progress - this is how Joachim Raff himself characterized his compositions, with which he was caught between all stools in his time. On the occasion of the 200th birthday of the composer, who is today unjustly almost completely forgotten, the Leipzig String Quartet presents his string octet, which follows this principle in an exemplary manner. With the Fantasy op. 207b for piano quintet and two surprisingly original encores, the growing Raff fan community can look forward to a special birthday present, world premieres included. On the face of it, the octet is based on the classical four-movement form. It goes without saying that this would have offended the "New German Composers". Harmonically, however, Raff is completely with the modernizers around Wagner and Liszt - already the beginning of the first movement shows bold turns, and the extended slow movement can't get out of the rapturous indulgence... For the Fantasy, of which there was originally a version for two pianos, the Leipzigers can be assured of Rudolph Meister's participation. The accomplished pianist shines already at the virtuoso beginning, whose rushing cascades accompany the palatable string singing. In the Larghetto section, the quartet and piano then find an extremely harmonious cooperation, and in a finely crafted play with the expectations of the audience, the quintet storms to a furious conclusion. The two encores are a real rarity: Under the name of Joseph Küffner, an immensely popular arranger at the time, though already deceased, Schott-Verlag for a short time published arrangements of popular operas from Raff's pen. Primarius Stefan Arzberger and Rudolph Meister can clearly hear the pleasure in Verdi's evergreens "Il Trovatore" and "Rigoletto" - bel canto melting at its best!

It was common practice in the nineteenth century for major orchestral and chamber works to be made available in piano four-hand reductions, as concert and recital-going was still a novelty and many middle-class homes had a piano, and these editions made such large works accessible to a much wider piano-playing public. What was less common was that Raff prepared his own piano four-hand arrangements, as often this time-consuming task was farmed out by composers and publishers to separate arrangers. However, Raff was also a skilled arranger himself. In addition to the original works mentioned above, he wrote a further eight works for piano four-hands which were either early pieces based on the melodies of other composers or more straightforward arrangements and transcriptions of the works of others, made at the request of publishers.

The Piano Four-Hands Sonata in E minor Op. 73b was arranged from the Violin Sonata No. 1, probably early in 1854 shortly after Raff finished work on the Sonata itself, but was not published by Schuberth until 1867, eight years after the original work, which had become the most successful of his five violin sonatas. The second work in the series, the Piano Four-Hands Sonata in A major Op. 90b, is an arrangement of the String Quartet No. 2, and was probably made immediately after Raff finished the Quartet in May 1857. The Quartet was published in 1862, but the Sonata remained in manuscript during Raff’s lifetime although it appears that as late as August 1881 Schuberth was preparing to publish it, as the company acknowledged receipt of Raff’s corrections of the proof. Publication never took place however, possibly because his death in June the next year intervened, and so it was not until the composer’s bicentenary year that Edition Nordstern published a first edition in 2022.

To mark the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth, the renowned Leipzig String Quartet presents a world premiere recording of the 5th String Quartet from Joachim Raff's much under-appreciated chamber music. In addition, the four musicians present the quartet op. 192, no. 2 with the epithet "Schöne Müllerin" - and whoever immediately thinks of Schubert is not wrong, but still on the wrong track. For unlike Schubert's, there seems to be no tragic ending in Raff's wanderer's fate, but a better one. Here, too, the young man falls in love with the miller's daughter, here, too, there is - as the title of the 4th movement reveals - "unrest", but after an "explanation" the work ends in the snappy "Polterabend" (wedding-eve party). Why Raff did not then also compose a wedding remains his secret...

While the "Schöne Müllerin" is laid out like a suite, the 5th string quartet follows the classical form. Raff had already broken away from Liszt's influence, and so the work is characterized by the extremely skillful treatment of the often catchy motifs. The fast second movement is remarkable, its familiar variations breathing Mendelssohnian esprit. Again and again, the Viennese three-fourths blossoms. Is this a reverence to Joseph Hellmesberger, the primarius of many Raff premieres? In any case, the Leipzig String Quartet's joy in this life-affirming music is clearly audible!

Classical Music

Classical Music

RAFF Violin Concertos: No. 1, op. 161 (ed. Wilhelmj); No. 2, op. 206. Cavatina, op. 85/3 (orch. Singer). Ungrischer (à la Hongroise), op. 203/5 • Michaela Paetsch Neftel (vn); Hans Stadlmair, cond; Bamberg SO • TUDOR 7086 (70:05)

Swiss-born Joseph Joachim Raff (1822 82) occupies an ambiguous position in music history. He was a hugely prolific composer of symphonies (12), quartets (7), songs, operas, sonatas, suites, and concertos, but even so his 216 opus numbers are swollen with loads of salon pieces. He had the reputation of being difficult, but managed to be personally and professionally respected by Liszt as well as Clara Schumann, Brahms, as well as Tchaikovsky. Somehow he combined the influences of Mendelssohn and Wagner. In his time he was regarded as a great composer, but upon his death was reduced to being the author of the Cavatina and The Mill, a string quartet excerpt. His reputation revived a bit in our time, when some conductors became interested in a few of the symphonies. Now we have this recording of two large-scale, technically very demanding violin concertos.

Inventive without being actually tuneful, both are marked by robust, even brassy orchestration, and solo parts then get right to business after brief orchestral introductions. And, alas, both soon clog really fine melodic ideas with unyielding and bombastic technical violin passagework, some of a difficulty to suggest that Raff looked to Spohr, Ernst, and Paganini for ideas about violin-writing. The Concerto No. 1 in B Minor of 1870-71 has a second movement that at first sounds truly inspired. It opens with hushed, muted strings, rich and colorful chords, and a soaring violin heard over a wind choir. But alas, Raff soon dissipates this sumptuous effect with tiresome violinistic embroidery. The third movement opens with a trumpet blare, lapsing into a mock-serious march that the violin mocks even more by it playing straight against a totally effete pizzicato accompaniment. An odd, novel passage for drum leads into a short cadenza, followed by a grand finale of octaves, double-stops, fast scales, and other such virtuoso fireworks. An inconsistent but entertaining work, and an impressive showcase for the American-born soloist.

The Concerto No. 2 in A Minor of 1877 has a pretentious program—the struggle of the soul— but the listener mostly hears the calisthenics of the violinist. Again, Michaela Paetsch Neftel has truly mastered this bristling solo part to the point of audible comfort, with nothing cautious or tentative about her approach. The second movement, meant to convey consolation, warmth, hope, and peace, is tender, wistful, and really lovable, and it is prettier than that of Concerto No. 1. The third movement's program, joy and pleasure, ends up sounding mostly just frothy, but with contrasting passages of great emotional warmth and impact (Raff could support a theme with affecting harmonies worthy of the best of Bruch or Saint-Saëns), but again a tendency for the solo part to simply be overloaded with difficulties rather than just sing. In the cadenza there is a high-flying reminder of Paganini's Concerto No. 1. On balance, a successful display work but not music of the first rank. The disc is filled out with nicely turned performances of the Cavatina of 1859 and Raff's own orchestration of a charming piece from his Volker Suite.

Both concertos have their exasperating moments, and I'll be tempted to just skip the first movements in future hearings; but they hang together structurally, melodically, and as show-off pieces, with many excellent opportunities for Paetsch Neftel to shine. She came in ninth in the 1985 Queen Elisabeth of Belgium competition, not, as the notes say, third, but she certainly sounds like a topflight artist on this release, which provides a welcome revisit to the entire genre of the Romantic violin concerto.

-- David K. Nelson, Fanfare

Includes work(s) by various composers.