Raff piano music vol.1

[Mark Thomas]

"You pays your money and you takes your choice". Nobody is forced to buy CDs. Naxos have done market research and have concluded that there is a market for a premium piano brand offering premium performances and audio quality. I haven't heard the Saint-Saens, but that's certainly true of the Raff recording.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Shucks! It is either: go without, or incur a debt.

What the hell. Clear as daylight - the choice already made!!! I've looked forward so much to this, and the experience of hearing others exclaiming about it is something I could not easily endure.

[Alan Howe]

Huh. So it's not actually Naxos then, per se. It's full price

...which I, for one, am willing to pay.

[eschiss1]

hopefully some of it will be on a radio station meanwhile and soon, but I do intend to get the CDs / a download via iTunes or another such websites, as and when I can.
Meanwhile, very glad (needless to say?) that such recordings (presumably so well played) are now available... 

[petershott@btinternet.com]

For the sake of a fellow's pocket, I draw attention to the fact that the disc is now on the HMV site at £8.99.

I have no connection whatsoever with HMV, apart from being an extremely satisfied and regular customer.

[Peter1953]

Peter senior, your post resulted in my first order from HMV. Shipment costs to the Netherlands £2.50. I thought, why not order a few other CD's more to make advantage of £2.50 per shipment, like MDT does ? But no. HMV asks £2.50 PER ordered CD to my country. Not so attractive. Never mind. I can hardly wait for the Raff CD to arrive.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I'm sorry to read, young Peter, that HMV charge you £2.50 per disc for postage to the Netherlands. Alas!

As you've doubtless read in the press the company are in a bad way financially, and it wouldn't surprise me if they suddenly collapse.

However their web-based business, HMV Guernsey Ltd, seems to be rather separate from the chain of shops in the UK. The former, I believe, is profitable, and the financial problems arise from lack of retail in their high street stores (many years ago the main store in London's Oxford Street was mecca, but now the remaining stores seem to me to be dreadful places populated by young men with rings in their noses, glazed eyes and who doubtless would complain about the serious lack of repeated heavy bass notes in Raff).

So I hope the on-line business is secure. If HMV does fold up, alas, there goes a source of very temptingly priced CDs. Which would be awful - if only because earlier today I placed orders for £97.00 of February / March new releases! But I feel safe enough, for company policy is to collect the money for an order at the time of dispatch.

Incidentally if, like many in this forum, you pursue those wonderful Dutton releases, do try HMV first. For at least the last year they've offered a 'pre-release price' of £5.99, and even now all of the last batch of releases can be found in 'special offers' at £4.99. Of course, you would have to add £2.50 per disc, but maybe that is still a significant reduction on prices elsewere. For those of us lucky or unlucky enough to live within the UK there is free postage.

Yes, the arrival of the first volume of the Raff piano music will be an event to celebrate. I think I've got hold of just about every Raff CD that there is, and regularly listen to them (but I'm sure Mark would quickly point to something I haven't yet encountered!). I've read about the piano compositions....but I don't believe I have ever actually listened to any of them apart from that Valentina Seferinova Cahoots CD. Absolutely wonderful composer, and I owe the introduction to his works through this forum.

But I gabble! May you have many happy hours with Raff (and Rontgen) and do be sure to make huge demands on the doctors!

Grumpy old Peter

[Peter1953]

What a wonderful composer Raff was. We (all) know it, but these excerpts prove it once again.

[erato]

I'm sorry to read, young Peter, that HMV charge you £2.50 per disc for postage to the Netherlands. Alas!

They also don't deduct VAT for sales outside the EU, like other British webshops do. All in all, bargains have to be extremely good to make hmv.co.uk worth it.

[Jonathan]

Well, my copy arrived in the post on Thursday, I've only collected it this morning from the sorting office but I plan on listening to it later on!
Really looking forward to hearing it.

[TerraEpon]

Not to sound negative, but the sound quality really doesn't sound all that good on the samples.

[Alan Howe]

Hat's off, a winner!
Firstly, this is definitely a premium product - excellent piano sound (neither too close nor too distant and with a nice sense of the recording venue), superb playing, full and lucid booklet notes from our own Mark Thomas, and wonderful, unfamiliar repertoire. What more could one want?
I've only listened to some of the CD, but it's already enough to make this one of my CD highlights of 2012. As I write this, I am listening to the miracle that is Raff's Metamorphosen, the last of the Three Piano Solos, Op.74 (1852, but only published in 1859). This is highly attractive, but emphatically not easy music - it actually requires and repays careful listening.
As with Raff's symphonies, this first volume of piano recordings ought to bring about a substantial revision of Raff's reputation and his position in the history of music in the 19th century. More reactions in due course...

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks for the very positive initial response, Alan. Personally, I think this potentially one of the most important Raff CD release for quite some time because, whilst not the first CD of Raff piano music, it is the first such CD by a major label with significant distribution and promotional clout. All of which would count for nothing if the interpretations or audio quality were below par, but with Tra Nguyen as the soloist in recordings made by Michael Ponder at the famous Wyastone Concert Hall then they are top notch. I'll pass over the notes (but thanks for the "lucid") and we are left with the music, which should speak for itself.

Personally, I'm utterly delighted with the result, but I'm hardly unbiased so here's a more independent reaction to this and the other three initial Grand Piano CDs. Volume 2, is due out later in the year.

[Jonathan]

I've also spun the disc several times over the last few days and am very impressed, the works are interesting, varied and repay re-listening.  Tra Nguyen is a superb pianist who makes an excellent advocate for these works and well up to the technical demands of the music which, in places sound considerable!  I especially liked some of the smaller Frühlingsboten which are charming and amusing in places.  As Mark said yesterday, the piano sound is very good too.  I am already looking forward to the remaining volumes.

Only one thing, my copy appears to have the Three Soli as the first 3 tracks rather than before the Fantasie at the end.  Anyone else noticed this (either that or my CD player is behaving very oddly...)

[Mark Thomas]

Jonathan, the CD was initially pressed with the tracks in the wrong order and these pressings were withdrawn and replaced before despatch to retailers. It looks as if the copy you have is one of the wrongly pressed ones, though. I am assured by Naxos that they will replace any such copies. My advice is to email Grand Piano /  Naxos customer service and ask for a replacement. If you have any problems with that then email me privately, please.