Rufinatscha Symphonies 3 and 4 related...

[Alan Howe]

Having spent time with Symphonies 3 and 4 over the past few days, it's pretty obvious that Rufinatscha intended them to be a related pair. This becomes obvious when one encounters the same gently rocking 'earworm' theme in the finales of both works. So, the question is: are there further definite connections between these two very different-sounding works (which, remember, both date from 1846 and were probably premiered within a month or so of each other in Vienna in the autumn of that same year.)?

[Wheesht]

According to a contemporary review in Der Humorist, 14. April 1852, page 2f., – (found via full text search in the digitised newspaper archive of the Austrian National Library at http://anno.onb.ac.at) – both the [then] 2nd and 3rd symphonies were performed in the same concert and the reviewer complained that the concert was too long because Rufinatscha was a diligent and ambitious musician who made frequent attempts at composing (sometimes with skill), but he did not often enough show in public what he had composed and then felt he had to compensate by bringing a lot of his music to just one concert. In addition to the two symphonies, the Overture to Die Braut von Messina, a Piano Fantasy plus two songs were played at that concert! Musicians and audience certainly had a lot more stamina then, but as the review suggest, it may have been too much for just one concert.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks. But I was more interested in the musical relationship between Symphonies 3 and 4 and whether is more to this than meets my (untrained) ear...

[Wheesht]

I did think you'd be more interested in the musical relationship, but since my ear must be a lot more untrained than yours I will not even try to make musical comparisons here. I was curious to see if the performance history supports the idea that Rufinatscha intended the works to be a related pair and the fact that both were performed together seems to bear this out.

[Alan Howe]

How can we be sure that the two symphonies mentioned (2 and 3) were the same two, though? Is there any mention of the key signatures? Otherwise, it's all rather idle speculation...

[Wheesht]

You are right, it does sound like speculation. I have found reviews of that lunch time concert on Easter Monday 1852 in three newspapers, two of them state quite clearly that a "Zweite Symphonie" was played plus the first movement of "einer dritten". No mention of the key signatures.
The concert was very poorly attended, but there was a lot of applause for the musicians. Rufinatscha conducted himself.

[Alan Howe]

It would be very interesting to know which two symphonies were performed on that occasion. There is a great deal of difficulty working out precisely which of Rufinatscha's works was performed at particular concerts. Thanks for looking, though - and do post anything else you find out, especially if it is easier to identify the works involved.