Raff on Chandos

[Gareth Vaughan]

Mark was referring to symphonies 8 & 9 (Spring and Summer respectively).

[Alan Howe]

I'd add that absolutely top-flight recordings of Symphonies 4, 6 and 7 would also be welcome.

[FBerwald]

Concert Performance of Raff's Symphony No. 11. Winter by Neeme Järvi & ERSO is available on the ERSO website...
https://erso.tv/landing/bc/pb_kPgRUjZ/M5y9KteBgx2

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks very much. A very quick sample indicates a sprightly, but not overfast performance.

[Alan Howe]

Symphony No.11 starts at about 1:53:13 into the video.
The performance takes approx. 33:21.
Comparisons: Schneider (Marco Polo) takes 34:59; Albert (cpo) 34:11; Stadlmair (Tudor) 35:03.
Järvi is therefore quicker, but not by much. Mark is spot-on.

[terry martyn]

He certainly took no prisoners in the finale.  It (just about) worked.

[Alan Howe]

It (just about) worked.

As long as orchestral articulation isn't compromised, I'm all in favour.

[Mark Thomas]

I've listened to this performance a couple of times now, and there is much to commend it, but it's not without its shortcomings. As usual with Järvi, it comes down to tempi. The first movement is taken at quite a swift pace, there's plenty of Raff's trademark momentum, but Järvi allows the evocation of chill winter winds proper prominence by slowing the tempo and there's plenty of dynamic variation. The carnival finale is taken at quite a lick, which the orchestra copes with well, and the result is a properly exciting end to the piece. These are the stronger movements of the work, of course, but from memory (unfortunately I can't access my music library at present) Järvi makes a better case for them than any of his competitors on disc.

The two inner movements are where the problem lies. The second, an Allegretto with no title, and the third, a Larghetto entitled Am Kamin (By the stove), are taken for the most part at what comes across as very similar moderate tempi. Though they're well played, there isn't enough to distinguish one movement from the other and the third in particular suffers. Järvi's tempo doesn't really convey the cosy warmth of sheltering from the snow beside one of those vast tiled German stoves which Raff presumably intended to conjour up in the listener. It's a shame, because a proper, slower, Larghetto pace for this movement would have made all the difference, and we could look forward to a recording of Raff's Winter Symphony which could be a clear recommendation.

[Alan Howe]

a proper, slower, Larghetto pace

That's a shame. But good to know - thanks, Mark.

[eschiss1]

Kamin- or for US readers like me, fireplace (stove here suggests something one cooks on rather than sits before to warm oneself up)

[Alan Howe]

Yes, 'Am Kamin' seems to me to mean 'By the Fireside', i.e. no cooking involved. Still, it's warmth that's the key point here.

[Mark Thomas]

A recording of the Symphony, taken from the video linked to above, is now in the Downloads Board here. Included is a welcome lollipop played at the end of the concert: Raff's famous Cavatina, in the orchestration by Singer, the violin soloist was the orchestra's leader, Triin Ruubel.