I had emailed Chandos on an unrelated topic, and, after they replied, I said thanks and asked if there was any chance they'd be continuing the Raff symphonies with another conductor. I was ecstatic to get the following reply:
"Raff will be contiunued with Neeme Jarvi in Estonia. Starting later this year,
Kind Regards
The Chandos Team"
...and I now see from the ERSO website that they're performing the 10th Symphony, 'Zur Herbstzeit,' in late November, so I'm guessing we can expect that to be recorded.
The 10th is my second favorite, after the mighty 5th, of course.
It seems likely that they'll combine it with the 11th, which was performed in May. And which, despite all its faults, happens to be my favorite.
Thank you for passing on this encouraging message.
News, but hugely welcome news, to me! What a pleasant surprise.
Remember this?
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,9504.msg100073.html#msg100073
My guess would be Nos.10 & 11 too.
This is very welcome news indeed. I would especially love to hear Jaarvi's take on No. 3. But certainly 10 and 11 will, I am sure, be a delight.
This is wonderful news.
Excellent news!
My only caveat would be to hope that Järvi doesn't overdo his tendency to take things too speedily, as he does (IMHO) at the beginning of the 5th Symphony where articulation is on the verge of breaking down.
Oh yes, Alan, the tempo is all wrong. My teeth being grinding at the very thought of it. The "Lenore" is my favorite symphony, and I've been collecting CD versions for 46 years. We're up to 7 now, but I find them all flawed in one way or another.
Who, I wonder could give us the ultimate Raff 5th? Honeck/Pittsburg on Reference? Paavo Jarvi/Tonhalle on Alpha? Maybe a dark horse choice would be Janowski/Dresden Philharmonic on Pentatone?
I'm sure I am in the minority that believes that Järvi's tempo for the beginning of No. 5 was spot on. The frenzied almost feverish speed set an eerie tone.
You're right, fast and frenzied is what Raff wants - he's describing a fevered nightmare. Most interpretations are too slow and once Järvi settles down to what is still a fast tempo he's really convincing, but the first few bars are just so quick that his string ensemble is close to collapse.
Yes, Mark identifies the issue here. If I may make a comparison: I find that there is a similar problem with the second movement of Mendelssohn's 3rd in some modern performances which sacrifice clean articulation in the pursuit of speed. In Raff, as well as in Mendelssohn, there has to be elegance (and accuracy) as well as fleetness of foot.
Welcome though a pairing of Nos.10 and 11 will be, we sorely need good, intelligent interpretations of the Spring and Summer symphonies, both fine works but neither of which have fulfilled their promise in the recordings we've had so far.
Are you referring to just commercial recordings, Mark? I remember we all had good things to say about the 2023 radio performance of the 10th symphony by the Jenaer Philharmonic.
Mark was referring to symphonies 8 & 9 (Spring and Summer respectively).
I'd add that absolutely top-flight recordings of Symphonies 4, 6 and 7 would also be welcome.
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 (https://erso.tv/landing/bc/pb_kPgRUjZ/M5y9KteBgx2)
Thanks very much. A very quick sample indicates a sprightly, but not overfast performance.
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.
He certainly took no prisoners in the finale. It (just about) worked.
Quote from: terry martyn on Saturday 09 August 2025, 12:08It (just about) worked.
As long as orchestral articulation isn't compromised, I'm all in favour.
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.
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Saturday 09 August 2025, 15:36a proper, slower, Larghetto pace
That's a shame. But good to know - thanks, Mark.
Kamin- or for US readers like me, fireplace :) (stove here suggests something one cooks on rather than sits before to warm oneself up)
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.
A recording of the Symphony, taken from the video linked to above (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php?msg=101317), is now in the Downloads Board here (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,9910.msg101489.html). 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.