I'm delighted to confirm that Tra Nguyen, who has contributed so much to the Raff recorded repertoire with her six fine discs of solo piano music for Naxos' Grand Piano strand and as soloist in the Suite for Piano & Orchestra and Die Tageszeiten on the Sterling label, will be recording the Piano Concerto and Ode au Printemps with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kerry Stratton in Prague this May. The CD will also feature an intriguing bonus: Raff's own Caprice on Motifs from his Opera King Alfred for solo piano. A modern recording of both concerted works is sorely needed and the solo Caprice will be a recording premiere.
More details (label, release date) when I'm able to confirm them.
Now that is something to look forward to!
Hear, hear!!
Amazing news
A minor update: the Caprice on Motifs from Raff's Opera King Alfred will be recorded on 4 May, with the Concerto and Ode au Printemps following on 10 and 11 May. I hope to be at the latter sessions in Prague. The album should be released by this time next year and possibly earlier.
We'll look forward to your report after the recording has taken place...
I've spent the last two days in Studio 1 at the Czech Radio Center in Prague where Tra Nguyen has been making her new recording of Raff's Piano Concerto and Ode au Printemps with the very fine Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under the Canadian conductor Kerry Stratton. The studio itself is a modern, state of the art facility, and the recording has been made in hi-def sound. As one might expect, or at least hope from the artists involved, and particularly with Tra's impeccable track record as a Raff interpreter, these performances should prove to be of the highest quality, although it is always difficult for an amateur to judge with certainty from the many takes required to make a modern studio recording. I'm sure that Kerry Stratton wouldn't mind me saying that these are primarily the soloist's interpretations, as is right and proper with concerted works, and with Tra we are in very experienced hands. She has such an intuitive feel for Raff's music that all I need say is that her performances match that combination of fire and poetry, coupled with technical brilliance which characterise all her previous recordings of his music. The orchestral contribution has been superb, though, with the brass particularly vibrant and warm throughout. There were also especially fine solos from the first viola and cello in the Ode and a beautifully wistful oboe contribution at the beginning of the Concerto's slow movement. Overall Kerry's disinclination to wallow, sensitive gradation of dynamics and his focus on bringing out inner voices often made me hear these familiar scores as if for the first time and, having heard the playback of the takes, I can confirm that the finished article should faithfully record what I heard.
Am I biased? Yes, I expect so. After all I've been involved in this project since its inception, and have just returned from the intense experience of sitting amongst the artists, acting as Tra's page-turner for the sessions recording the Concerto's middle and closing movements. That said, I do believe that these performances will meet the highest expectations of anyone who has been looking forward to a new, definitive recording of these ravishing works.
I hope to be able to confirm these impressions once I've heard the master in a couple of months' time, and I'll confirm publication details as soon as I know them myself.
All I can say is: how wonderful - and many thanks!
Hear, hear! I look forward to hearing this CD very much indeed. Thank you so much, Mark - and, of course, Tra.
Thank you for this report, Mark. I can't wait for the results!
It's too early to get the first edit of the Piano Concerto or Ode au Printemps, but I have listened to the solo piece, the Caprice on motifs from Raff's opera King Alfred, which was recorded separately and will be a premiere recording. It's quite a substantial work lasting 15 minutes, and showcases Raff's most brilliant style. Anyone familiar with the opera's Overture from the Sterling or Chandos recordings will recognise some of the themes: Alfred's noble patriotic song which opens both pieces, the battle music and the jaunty triumphal march from the finale, to which Raff returns several times in the Caprice to stitch the work together. Unlike the Overture, he also employs a number of other themes from the opera and weaves them all together to produce something which absolutely transcends pot pourri, and works impressively as a stand-alone composition.
Appetite duly whetted...
There are a few (amateur) photos and videos of the recording sessions in Prague posted on Tra Nguyen's Facebook pages here (https://m.facebook.com/TraNguyenPianist?_rdr) and here (https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009020679758&fref=pb).
Exciting indeed!
Rather sooner than I'd thought I would, I have just listened to the first edit and am relieved to say that both Tra's performance and the orchestral contribution in the Concerto and Ode utterly eclipse all previous recordings of these works - the Caprice is a recording premiere, of course.
How marvellous. Not that I'm surprised really.
That's all very well but you do realize you're rather trying our patience, don't you? ;)
Seriously, I can't wait.
Announced in March, recorded in May... my word, Ilja, your patience is non-existent!! ;D
That's really good news! Thanks!
A further update: all being well the hi-def recording will be published by the end of 2017, or early 2018, with downloads available shortly thereafter. The label will be Naxos' Grand Piano strand, which published Tra's series of six CDs of Raff's solo piano music.
Yay! :)
Huh. I can't remember any previous recording on Grand Piano that wasn't solo piano or 4 hand piano(s).
Try looking through the GP listing here:
http://www.mdt.co.uk/labels/g/grand-piano.html (http://www.mdt.co.uk/labels/g/grand-piano.html)
Ooh, Boris Chaikovskii violin sonata. (Way outside our orbit but -good- composer.) Thanks for the link!
Quotethe hi-def recording will be published by the end of 2017, or early 2018
it's now confirmed for November this year,
Just on time for Christmas.
Dear Santa ...
(http://www.raff.org/otherpix/gp771.png)
Here's the promotional video (https://vimeo.com/225811570), just released. The opening piano flourish comes from the Caprice, by the way. The rest of the clips you'll recognise.
It's balm to the ears. Sheer magic. Can't wait...
I can see, by the way, how Tra's personality is so suited to the joy of Raff's music-making!
Excellent! The video was certainly worth viewing - such a small string section, but sure sounds bigger. Too bad for Hyperion. This repertoire should have been in their Romantic Piano Concerto series a long time ago, but now, with this excellent new recording, why bother? I am a bit confused by the "World Premier Recordings". Only the Caprice, unless there's more not listed on the front of the CD.
No, only the Caprice is a world premiere, Martin. I've already pointed this out to Naxos.
The CD will be available from 10 November.
Just in time for my birthday. Hooray!
Wahay, lovely jubbly...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S24EJjsAZdw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S24EJjsAZdw)
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Grand%2BPiano/GP771 (http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Grand%2BPiano/GP771)
Grand Piano's mini-site (https://www.naxos.com/ECard/GrandPiano/GP771/) promoting the CD, with an excerpt from Ode au Printemps.
I can confirm that this is now the definitive recording of Raff's lovely PC. Hitherto it hadn't been one of my favourite works of Raff's, but this resplendent performance really does the job. Much of the success of the performance is due to Tra Nguyen's understanding of Raff's world gained from years of working on his solo piano music. She has the ability to spin wonderful, sparkling cantabile lines and also to ensure that the most forceful passages are kept within bounds so as not to allow the music to spill over into something more appropriate to Tchaikovsky. There is also some really lovely playing from the woodwind of the PRSO. The slow movement is heart-stoppingly beautiful and now surely enters the 19thC PC Hall of Fame.
I remember the late, great Alan Krueck - Draeseke and Raff expert - characterising Raff's slow music as often having an aching beauty. He was spot-on.
Hyperion have clearly missed out here big time...
Nice.....considering the otherwise unrecorded Caprice on top of the above, I certainly have to get this disc now.
This is a beautiful performance of all works - very sensitive playing. I highly recommend this disk.
Allow me to confirm Alan and Gareth's positive reviews of this recording. However, although this is certainly the best version of the concerto currently on the market, to me the work that really receives a new polish is the Ode au Printemps. Sofar I never considered it to be among Raff's most interesting concertante works, but Tra brings a life to it that I had never heard before.
I completely agree, Ilja.