Rufinatscha Symphony in C minor (recon. Huber)

[Alan Howe]

Our Innsbruck colleagues have confirmed that the Symphony in C minor by Rufinatscha reconstructed by Michael F. P. Huber will be recorded when it is given its first performance in November this year.

[Richard Moss]

Alan,

Is that likely to be another in the CHANDOS series or a local Tyrrolean one?  If the former, we'll easily pick it up via MDT listings etc. but if the latter, then advice to us all at the time that the CD is available would be most welcome.  I've already got the 1st CHANDOS and the PC, so more will be very welcome.

Cheers

Richard

PS I wonder if this too will be in danger of becoming one of the longest threads, like the last one you stared on him!

[Mark Thomas]

Do we know anything about the quality/appropriateness of Huber's reconstruction, Alan? Even with an unsung like Rufinatscha, these things only really convince if the arranger has got a thorough grasp of the original composers idiom, orchestral palette, idiosyncrasies and so on. What are Huber's credentials? Not that I want to sound negative, it's excellent news of course!

[Alan Howe]

1. This will be a recording made by the Tyrolean State Museum in Innsbruck.

2. Michael F. P. Huber is a contemporary composer - beyond that I know absolutely nothing. But my hopes are high...

Just to clarify things: the symphony involved was found with only its string parts intact, so the reconstruction is really more like a filling out of the missing orchestral parts. The piece is not one of the six known symphonies, but a seventh symphony (date uncertain), lasting perhaps 45 minutes.

[Peter1953]

I can only hope Huber didn't use elements of his Symphony No. 2 in the Rufinatscha reconstruction. I cannot understand his music at all. Let's wait and hear.

[Alan Howe]

I actually found Huber 2 to be a very fine contemporary symphony, with clear links to the symphonic tradition, especially Mahler. However, I don't think there's any danger whatsoever of any 'cross-contamination', as it were. Huber's task is purely musicological - after all, he already has the complete string parts (when the work was first discovered it was thought to be a work for strings alone!)

[MusFerd]

Dear English friends of Rufinatscha,
As one of the people responsible for the Tyrolian Rufinatscha concerts and recordings I can assure you that Michael FP Huber's reconstruction of the wind parts of the C minor Symphony will be subtle and technically accomplished, as far as I know the composer who has considerable skills and extraordinary craftsmanship - and of course he will take the complete symphonies as a model. By the way, I have some brandnew information on the amount and chronology of Rufinatscha's symphonies - a scientific article on this topic is in preparation. And, by the way: The concert with the performance of the C minor Symphony is in November - the CD will not be available earlier than 2013. The next weeks will see the publication of a box set of 3 CDs with Rufinatscha's piano music by the label "Musikmuseum" (available worldwide through amazon, jpc etc.) and a performance of all his Lieder - excellent compositions, as I think (4 May, Innsbruck, 5 May, Mals, Rufi's home village). All these activities are parts of the festive program honouring his 200th birthday...   

[a.b.]

Our Innsbruck colleagues have confirmed that the Symphony in C minor by Rufinatscha reconstructed by Michael F. P. Huber will be recorded when it is given its first performance in November this year.

And not only the Symphony in C minor but also the complete "Lieder": The recording date will be around 3. & 4. Mai 2012, on the occasion of two concertos by the
Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum: Maria Erlacher (soprano), Andreas Lebeda (baritone) and Annette Seiler (piano) - the same instrument as by the Rufinatsch PC by Michael Schöch.

(by the way: Schöch was first price winner of the famous ARD International Music Competition 2011 (not piano but in organ) - the first and only first price since 30 years!)

[Alan Howe]

Many, many thanks to our Austrian friends for all the information about forthcoming Rufinatscha concert and recording projects. We are extremely grateful to them for keeping us informed and for all the hard work that is going into documenting this wonderful composer's output.

[Mark Thomas]

I can only echo Alan's sentiments. It is tremendously encouraging to see the Rufinatscha bandwagon gathering pace. Bravo!

[JimL]

Especially nice, too to see us get some participation from the Landesmuseum!  Our bandwagon also grows apace.