Are there enthusiasts of this piece on the Forum? This is a work that always peaks my interest when I read about it, sounding like a mix of Berlioz and H.P. Lovecraft, but every time I try to audition it I find myself losing interest before the end of each of it 's Schumann-lite movements.
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Raff 5 "Lenore" is said to be one of his strongest symphonies, together with 3 "Im Walde" and the rather patriotic no.1 "Vaterland". It is remarkable that his symphonies [until Brahms published his first] were considered to be the prime work in this genre. An 1870 published dictionnary on music (IIRC Grove ?) mentions Brahms as THE master of chamber music, Wagner of opera and Raff as symphonist.
Raff is also the guy who taught/advised Liszt orchestration and most likely orchestrated or at least corrected/amended (some of) the latter's symphonic poems.
Nevertheless: I do think that Raff in general was not capable of keeping tension up to the very end of his works.
Lenore (and Im Walde) have lovely and striking themes, but none of these are IMO used to a degree to keep a listener interested to the very end: too academic perhaps, harmonically a bit dull, to some degree too repetitive also, though with -for its day- some remarkable orchestral combinations (of which both Schumann and Wagner are influences)
[his last four symphonies [8-11; the 4 seasons], his very last works anyway, composed during illness, are IMO straightforwardly weak]
short: RFG, I am with you: Raff is interesting, but struggles to keep a listener interested. -
Hi all, slightly off topic I would llike to recommend Tra Nguyen's piano music recordings on Grand piano. These are excellent.
As for Raff's influence on Liszt, Raff certainly helped with the earlier versions of the symphonic poems but had no hand in the final published versions.
I like the 3rd Symphony most but also like no.9 which is subtitled "Im Sommer" and is cheerful and fun!Best regards,
JonathanComment
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It is interesting how some Composers that were so widely esteemed by their contemporaries have fallen so low in the judgement of Posterity. That could be the subject for another thread. Spohr, Cherubini, Meyerbeer, Stamford are just a few that come to mind. Hindemith may be in danger of ending up there one day as well/Originally posted by Roehre View PostComment
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isn't there a Bruckner connection? Im Walde --> the Romantic ... I think .. off the cuff ...Comment
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Not a direct connection in the sense that Bruckner has influenced Raff or vice versa.Originally posted by arthroceph View Post
It was the omnipresent romantic idea of forest as mysterious place worth exploring or explaining (ever since Weber's Freischütz) and defined by near or more distant horn sounds (as is to be found in Schubert 9 slow mvt e.g.), and which can be found in extenso in Wagner's Ring, but also in Brahms (songs opus 17, symphonies 1,2 and 4 e.g.). Mahler's works are inbibed with this too.Comment
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I do not know his symphonies but I liked his Cello ConcertosComment
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