The "Orchester Santa Maria" of Lucerne (co-founded by Howard Griffiths, according to their website) has released a CD (https://orchester-santa-maria.ch/cd-erscheinung-wiederentdeckung-eines-luzerner-romantikers/) with a newly discovered symphony by a Swiss Romantic, Franz Pfyffer.
It was performed in two concerts in 2024, and a detailed review by Urs Mattenberger was published in the "Luzerner Zeitung" (https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/kultur/zentralschweiz/klassik-orchester-santa-maria-romantisch-befluegelte-schweizer-enge-ld.2670470). Here is a translation of the part about Pfyffer's symphony:
Romantic inspiration in Switzerland
The Santa Maria Orchestra rediscovers Lucerne romantic Franz Pfyffer and presents this find in two concerts – with Alois Koch on the organ.
There is little information about Pfyffer's life. What little there is suggests that the Lucerne native found his homeland stifling and fled abroad: first to study music in Leipzig, later to take up a position as organist in Strasbourg. The example of Pfyffer's contemporary Gustav Arnold shows just how meagre musical life was in Lucerne at the time. In the 1860s, he had campaigned for the professionalisation of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, complaining that its 16-piece instrumentation was too small even for a Haydn symphony. This meant that Lucerne did not have the right conditions for romantic symphonic music, as has now been demonstrated by Pfyffer's Symphony in B flat major now.
Stylistic backwardness instead of avant-garde
The work was thus a touchstone for the question of how far Swiss composers had succeeded in escaping the confines of Switzerland by going abroad. Even better-known Lucerne composers in the generations before Pfyffer had failed to connect with the avant-garde of their time. Both Meyer von Schauensee and Schnyder von Wartensee followed the trends of their time with a Swiss stylistic delay.
Pfyffer's symphony is no exception. Alois Koch, who made the work accessible to the orchestra, notes that it is not indebted to the avant-garde of Wagner, whom Pfyffer encountered in Tribschen, but to the romantic classicism of Mendelssohn. The appeal of the music need not be diminished by such stylistic lag. This, too, was impressively demonstrated by the performance under Droujelub Yanakiew. He counteracted by shifting the work towards grand symphonic Romanticism with a powerfully exploited orchestral sound.
This leads to a punctuated rhythm, which later launches the allegro, resulting in a first bath of sound in broadly painted chords. The first movement contrasts classical motoric rhythms with romantic, singing melodies that spread from the cellos to the entire orchestra. The second movement is a romantic song without words, reminiscent of Schubert for the first time with its shifts from minor to major. After a sedate scherzo, Pfyffer pulls out all the stops in the finale and enthrallingly drives forward the momentum gained from circular movements with rhythmic shifts. Here, the discovery truly becomes a trouvaille.
Have you heard the either concert or the CD, Thomas?
I did not attend the concert, Mark. I only found out about it, and about the CD, recently. I ordered the CD and it arrived a few days ago. I have so far only listened to it once.
Thanks. So what do you think of the symphony, Thomas?
I am feeling adventurous and have placed my order. It is very refreshing to be trusted with a CD before payment.
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Friday 01 August 2025, 19:49Thanks. So what do you think of the symphony, Thomas?
Here's my tuppence worth: While I was not overwhelmed initially but did think it made for a pleasant listening experience, I now find that the symphony has started to grow on me after listening a few more times. It is well crafted IMHO if rather conservative for my liking, and I will be happy to listen to it again. I certainly don't regret buying it.
Thanks, Thomas. Sounds like it's worth investigating. It's ordered.
I placed my order on August 2nd. No sign of the CD. I contacted them to ask if it had been sent. No reply.
Same with me Nada. Zilch. In fact, I'd forgotten about it
I have just sent a whining email to their Facebook page. I am not giving up on this yet. After all, I eventually obtained the Cliffe 2nd Symphony from the sorely-missed Dr Fifield.
Although I suspect that this symphony will not be in the same class as the Cliffe ( albeit performed by a professional orchestra)'.
My copy arrived quickly, but then I'm based in Switzerland, like them. Obviously I don't know any details, but perhaps they were not expecting orders from outside Switzerland or there is only one person dealing with orders (and who was on holiday or off sick)...
I do hope the orders will arrive eventually.
I have now arranged to place a comment on their latest Facebook post. I made sure ,in so doing, that I have not (yet) put myself in any danger of being arrested next time I fly.
Looking back to the order form, I had to add my country of residence, so I reckon that they were not expecting anyone outside Switzerland to order. And certainly not prepared for it, when people did.
The "period of silence" (to misquote Attlee) cannot last for ever.
I am away from home but I could check later this week if I still have the invoice. This should include an address and phone number. I could try contacting them to sort this out, after all I started the whole thing here.
That would be very helpful! Thank you!
Indeed, thank you Thomas.
I received this email just now, which may explain the delay:
"Because 4 orders from 4 different countries abroad were placed within a few hours on August 1, whereas no domestic orders came in in the days before and weeks after, we strongly believed in a case of scam orders. Thanks to an insisting purchaser, I now can also contact you."
Yes. I misposted this on another thread.
Simon Haas at the orchestra contacted me a few hours ago to say that four orders from four different countries were placed on August 2nd,and they thought, as no-one was ordering from Switzerland at the time,that we were all scammers. He said that now I had contacted him again,by various means,he would write to all four of us,and confirm our orders.
The bad news for me is that my Spanish bank generously offers to charge me 62 euros for the transfer!
I've had an email apology and a request for payment. You could try emailing Simon Haas at:
shaas74@gmail.com
Simon has already been back in touch with me and we are being inventive as to payment methods. I hope that Ilja will read this post and reply to the private message about the CD I sent him several hours ago, as I think that it will solve the problem of transfer fees for both of us.
I've now made an online bank payment for the CD.
I also did on Thursday, as my UK bank did it without fees. Have you heard back,Alan ,as I haven't?
I have now had a reply to the effect that all the CDs Forum members ordered should be shipped tomorrow
My CD arrived tonight, but the Spanish postman demanded an extra 10 euros before handing it over. I have informed Simon Haas in Lucerne.
But it's money well-spent.
I had Rheinberger's First Organ Concerto in my collection - but not his Second,so that,in itself was a welcome surprise. Melodious,well-crafted,and very much in the Reinecke mould.
The symphony was composed in the 1860s and it is harmonious,gentle,lilting. pleasing to the ear. There's no denying that it is ultra-conservative,even for its own time - I said to myself that Pfyffer would probably have found the symphonies of Eduard Franck revolutionary. But it's a listening-experience worth repeating and I particularly liked the second movement which made me wonder if the composer studied under a pupil of Bernhard Romberg- an allegretto taken at a pretty sedate pace,it has to be said.
Obviously a labour of love for all concerned, and the organist,Herr Koch, apparently persuaded the orchestra to "give it a go" ,which they do in an uplifting,and highly accomplished way.
After ten play-throughs, the Symphony has stood up rather well, in my opinion, to breakfast -time listening. There are some decent melodies. and I concur with Wheest that the whole work grows on you,rather than palls. I admire the effort that has gone in to the recording, and hope that colleagues try and surmount the hurdles which are to be encountered in purchasing and shipping.
Nearly two months further on, and the symphony continues to give pleasure. For me, it is one of the finds of the year - a lovely,unassuming,work.
I am sorry that no-one else has commented on its merit since my previous post.
A further report on this delightful symphony.
I must have now played it about sixty times, more than any other work in my CD collection.
The four movements are so well-balanced, the harmonies simple and pleasing, that it has become my go-to work at breakfast time.
Quote from: terry martyn on Friday 19 September 2025, 11:00The symphony was composed in the 1860s
Terry, do we know what exact year it was composed? Listening to it now, I would have guessed 1830s!
As the composer was born in 1844, I hope it wasn't!
I think I said in my first post how conservative this symphony is. And I don't know the exact date of its composition. What I do know is that I have just woken up with the memories of the melodies in its opening movement!
I looked at RISM and did not find it- but did find other intriguing items of his.
Quote from: terry martyn on Tuesday 14 April 2026, 11:02A further report on this delightful symphony.
I must have now played it about sixty times, more than any other work in my CD collection.
The four movements are so well-balanced, the harmonies simple and pleasing, that it has become my go-to work at breakfast time.
Terry, I've listened to it a few times myself. I enjoy the first two movements but don't get the same pleasure from the last two. However, I'm glad that such an unsung work has become the highlight of your collection! Perhaps it will take me a bit longer to grasp it.
It was the almost-funereal second movement that gripped me first. The other three took longer. Once I got used to the third movement,I have really appreciated,not just the craftsmanship,but also the melodies.
Probably,the reason I made such an effort to understand and appreciate all aspects of this symphony is the number of hurdles needed to obtain the piece in the first place. But my perseverance has been richly rewarded.