Topics

Mark and Alan, I'm wondering whether it is possible to add a list of all the previously discussed topics?

I suppose many members of the new Forum also participated and / or read the many threads in the old Forums. This doesn't include myself, because I'm a newcomer and was enjoying the former Forum only for a few weeks, just before the awful hacking attacks.
I can still learn a lot. Many good suggestions resulted for me in new discoveries, and I bought CD's from Rufinatscha, Draeseke, Bortkiewicz, Gernsheim, Martucci and Reubke, just to name a few. And although I have a nice, almost complete collection of Raff discs, I enjoy reading opinions on our mutual unsung musical hero from Switzerland. And it gives me great pleasure to participate in several discussions.

The thought behind my request is that I have completely forgotten which topics already have been discussed thoroughly. I have some ideas for new threads in the near future, but that could be old news for many members. And I wonder how motivated (old) members are to restart or reply to an already previoulsly discussed topic again. An example: Jim mentions that the Rufinatscha thread was read over 10,000 times, and how many members have added interesting replies to the discussions? On our new Forum I have started a topic on Rufinatscha, because I promised to give my opinion after receiving two missing discs (ordered 10 May, not arrived yet. Slow post coach from Tirol to the Netherlands, I suppose). How many members want to add something, after such a long thread in the old Forum?

By the way, as expressed before, I'm very grateful to you that we now have the Unsung Composers Forum. It's a great place to be. Maybe just a list of the old topics is helpful? What is your opinion?

[what is your favourite Raff symphony, and why?]

Dear Raffians,

It is very likely that this topic has already been discussed in the former Forum. In that case my apologies for re-addressing this subject, but I cannot remember your opinions anymore. And maybe your thoughts have changed in the meantime. Hence this thread, for I believe that Raff's symphonies belong to his most important output.

Over the past days I have listened to all symphonies again. Except for #1 (Rhenish PO) I have them all performed by the Bamberger Symphoniker.

Raff's Lenore, with its attractive and delightful 2nd and 3rd movements, and Im Walde, already after 21 seconds with the characteristic "Raffian" winds, are commonly seen as Raff's most popular symphonies.
However, mine is still his first, An das Vaterland. Is it because it is the first Raff symphony on CD which I have bought? Is it the story behind the title, the programmatic element, a patriotic hint (Was ist des deutschen Vaterland? Interesting enough, since Raff's origin is Swiss)? No, not for me. It is just the music itself. The first movement is not even that special, but then it begins. A lovely scherzo and catchy, melodic fourth and fifth movements. But for me Raff never wrote such a great movement as the larghetto of his opus 96 again. A serene start, but then, after 6 minutes comes an unparallelled outburst of emotions in the middle part, ending in the same peaceful mood.
Of course, it's all a matter of personal taste, but this music touches the heart and makes the symphony not only my Raff's number one, but ranks Raff definitely between all Great Composers. Not so many celebrated romantic symphony composers wrote such a firstling. Maybe Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Without doubt Raff belongs to these great "symphonists", which makes it hard to bear that his music is now so unjustified neglected.

Enough said. My question to all of you is: what is your favourite Raff symphony, and why?

[R]

In Reply #6 [Topic: Music, but not for amusement] Alan Howe wrote to me I'm sure we'd all to hear your thoughts on Rufinatscha in a new thread - when you have time.

Well Alan, it will be my pleasure. But, as I have said in the old Forum, I am neither a musician, nor a musicologist, just a listener. Besides, English is not my native language. But I will give it a try anyhow, because Rufinatscha's music is for me so far nothing less than a "Trouvaille". You are a real advocate for Rufinatscha and like you, I also hope to stimulate fellow Raffians to listen to Rufinatscha's music, which is enchanting.

I have already said something enthusiastic about his symphonies 1, 2, 5 and 6 (Topic: Rufinatscha 6, Reply #4) and the two piano quartets (Topic: unsung chamber music with piano, Reply #7).

The other disk I have is "Symphonische Musik für Klavier zu vier Händen", although I had ordered the CD "Klaviertrio, Klavierkonzert zu 4 Händen". Never mind, because its marvellous music. It gives a pretty good idea how the first 3 movements of the lost score of his symphony in C minor must have sounded. Manfred Schneider in his booklet notes quotes a music reviewer who attended a concert in 1846, saying that he ... halte es für die heiligste Pflicht der Kritik, solch ein symphonisches Talent mit Theilnahme in die Welt zu führen. Unfortunately that never happened.

Today I have ordered two CD's, the "Klaviertrio, Klavierkonzert zu 4 Händen" and "Tiroler Klaviermusiek" with four-handed piano music from Rufinatscha and Netzer. I will let you know what I think of it in due course.

Rubinstein-Raff-Rufinatscha. A coincidence or not? 

I would very much like to know your opinion of the following dramatic music, music which probably doesn't please you but almost certainly won't keep you unmoved. You will understand the resemblance, I guess.
"Quartet for the end of time" (Quatuor pour la fin du temps) by Olivier Messiaen and "Symphony No. 3" by Henryk Górecki.

A few months ago I acquired a double disk with Czerny's piano sonatas 5, 6, 8 and 9 played by Martin Jones on Nimbus Records. A must for anyone who likes this genre! Especially #6 is exciting (6 movements in almost 51 minutes, but not for a second boring, on the contrary). I already had 1 and 3 played by Anton Kuerti on Analekta, both gorgeous and interesting pieces.

This brings me to the question, which surprising unsung piano sonatas are your favourites?
Mine are 
1. All 4 piano sonatas by Rubinstein (Leslie Howard on Hyperion). These superb sonatas are all interesting, full of emotion and most impressive, especially 3 and 4. One of the reasons why Rubinstein is my number one unsung composer
2. Raff's opus 14 of course, which is a masterpiece
3. Ludwig Berger's Grande Sonate in C minor (Frederick Marvin on Genesis). A "trouvaille"!
4. Norbert Burgmüller's sonata in F minor (Adrian Ruiz on Genesis)
5. Sigismund Thalberg's Grande Sonate in C minor (Ian Hominick on Titanic)

None of these sonatas deserve to be background music. You have to sit down, just listen and get overwhelmed!

There is so much more in this genre, but certainly you can add interesting unsung piano sonatas which are fascinating to discover and explore.

Today I have listened after so many years to the Concerto for Piano, Violin and String Orchestra in F sharp minor, coupled on a LP (label Turnabout of course) with Moscheles' Grande Sonate Symphonique for four-hand piano arrangement. The Pixis' concerto is a real gem and the 2nd movement, an adagio sostenuto, features, as the violist Kees Kooper says, "one of the most beautiful melodies one can ever hope to hear". I fully agree. It is a very intense, heavenly theme. Has any member ever heard this marvellous concerto?

Music of Pixis on a CD seems to be very rare. The only piece I have is the "Fantasie dramatique pour le piano à quatre-mains sur des motifs des Hugenots" (from Meyerbeer) played by the Duo Alkan (Alberto Baldrighi and Anne Colette Ricciardi).

Do you recommend a PC from one of our unsung composers with an impressive, stunning opening like Brahms 1 or the elegant Hummel PC's op. 85&89? I am thinking of Henselt, including his formidable piano entry.