Raff, Reger, Reinecke, Ries, Rufinatscha

[Christopher]

Having been on this site for a couple of years now, there are five unsung composer names which, for some reason, leap out at me more than others.  And strangely enough they all begin with R....

Raff
Reger
Reinecke
Ries
Rufinatscha

SO I figured it's high time I started exploring them for myself!  I wouldn't mind a hand though, given the number of hours in each day, and was wondering if the various enthusiasts for each composer might care to name their top (say) 5 orchestral (or operatic/choral) pieces for each composer? ( I think I have Reger covered, though further input is of course always welcome!)

[Mark Thomas]

Raff:
Die Tageszeiten (piano, choir & orchestra)
Symphony No.3 Im Walde
Symphony No.4
Piano Concerto
Prelude to Shakespeare's Macbeth

This gives a good representative sample but actually I think that Raff is at his very best in his chamber music...

[Alan Howe]

Reinecke:
Symphonies 2 & 3
Violin Concerto
Piano Concertos 2 & 3

Rufinatscha:
Symphonies 1,2,5,6 (old numbering)
Piano Concerto

[Peter1953]

Christopher, I cannot reply without mentioning my favourite composer, also starting with R...

Rubinstein:
Piano Concertos 3&4
Violin Concerto

Raff:
Symphony 1
Violin Concertos 1&2

Rufinatscha:
Symphonies 5&6
Piano Quartet in C minor

And... he belongs here as well...

Röntgen:
Piano Concerto 2
Cello Concerto 1

[mikehopf]

"R" operas: Il Pirata & The Pirates of Penzance.

[eschiss1]

and Il Corsaro, of course. But we won't get into a discussion of marque, reprisal and similar subjects here. (that is... look below the keyboard for an explanation of the connection, thin as it is, between certain eyepatch-users and rolled (in English) consonants. It dates no further back than 1950... ) 

(Was thinking about certain other Rrrromantic composers, but my mind was stuck on ones who- aside from Rudorff, say - I'd heard of but not heard - yet - like Robert Radecke. (and his brother Rudolf, I suppose!)  and whether or not Emile-Pierre (1851-1934) Ratez.

Not to mention, again, Rauchenecker, so I won't!  )

[eschiss1]

Since you ask for 5 orchestral works by Reger - I respond reluctantly because I don't think this is where his best work lies - I will - regretfully give only a partial answer:
#The Symphonic Prologue to a Tragedy (op.108 of 1908). Big (30-odd minutes) A-minor sonata movement, rather more, to my ears, like a mature Reger symphony than the Sinfonietta op.90 (to be fair, I haven't really given the Sinfonietta a fair hearing yet ...! ) Despite the date and key, not _that_ closely influenced by Mahler's Tragic symphony (though one can hear that in it, I think- and others?) Storm, stress, and some enchanting (to my ear) secondary themes. (It's more of a three-group sonata form like in Bruckner's symphonies, to be picky...) The (in "sonata form movements" often- well, ... sometimes...- one of the most dramatic points...) end of the development section features a very spooky unison voice from the depths (which Segerstam, in his BIS recording, handles very well.  The concert broadcast sometimes heard on BBC conducted by Metzmacher cuts almost the entire recapitulation, maybe because like in very many Reger works it's an almost exact copy of the exposition- there is a good reason why this is so in Reger's music!... - and flubs any sense of structure - one of the most satisfying things about this piece when done right, and it can be very satisfying; _avoid_ that one...)

#The variations sets. Segerstam's recording (on the same BIS CD) of Reger's Mozart Variations (1914) I'd also recommend... (see btw Wikipedia.)

The works I'd probably most recommend by him are chamber works - especially mid- and late-period - but you wanted orchestral and choral-orchestral...

Not at all familiar with Rufinatscha yet beyond hearing a work or two twice, so far.

Favorite orchestral works by Raff include
#Symphony 7 Op.201 In the Alps - I find this very fresh and memorable throughout, from the hymnic opening through the boisterous bassoon main theme and on. (... sounds like a bassoon. I really need to find that score ) Your mileage may vary!
#Piano and Orchestra Suite Op.200. Available on a Sterling CD. What a lovely idea and how well done... (from the same time as the 7th symphony, yes.)
#Concert Overture Op.123 (from the same CD as one of the recordings of the 7th symphony) - and for much the same reasons...

Haven't heard Ries' orchestral music often enough to say, yet, though pleased by the concertos and symphonies I've heard on Classical Music Choice TV (hope that the overtures, etc. will be recorded soon too...) - I remember looking several times at the Garland Edition print of symphonies 1, 2, and 7 (labeled 9 in that edition, I think) and at the parts of symphony 4 in F over at the local university and getting a positive general impression that has since been borne out when I've gotten a chance to hear the works.

[Christopher]

Rufinatscha:
Symphonies 1,2,5,6 (old numbering)
Piano Concerto

Thanks for this Alan - what is meant by "old numbering"?

[Christopher]

Christopher, I cannot reply without mentioning my favourite composer, also starting with R...

Rubinstein:
Piano Concertos 3&4
Violin Concerto

And... he belongs here as well...

Röntgen:
Piano Concerto 2
Cello Concerto 1

Thanks for this Peter.  As a Russophile I am very familiar with Rubinstein and like a lot of his work.  I like his PCs 1, 2 and 4.  But I find his violin concerto utterly unmemorable.  I have only heard the one on Naxos, maybe it's a bad version...

And thanks for the Rontgen recommendation, I will certainly explore that too.   


Is "R" the new "B"?!!

[Christopher]

"R" operas: Il Pirata & The Pirates of Penzance.

Why are these "R" operas?

[eschiss1]

*sigh* It's a pirate joke (see the link in my post about that. It's a modern joke about pirates, of 60 years' vintage. We would have opened with the Berlioz...)

[Balapoel]

I too will second the Röntgen - in my opinion, one of the best discoveries I've made in the past several years. His work is consistently at a very high level. Pick any piece - you will not be disappointed. If I had to argue for a few to see what he's like:

-Cello Sonata in a minor, Op. 41, and Cello Sonata No. 4 in c minor (or any of them) -very moving

-Serenade for Wind Quintet (1928) - very tuneful and playful.

-Cello Concerto No. 2 in g minor (1909) - the solo introduction always reminds me of Elgar's effort (composed 10 years later), but with more autumnal feeling (if that is possible).

-can't go wrong with any of the symphonies - they're all different and interesting. I'm partial to the Symphony in c minor (1910) and the short Symphony in D "Walzersymphonie'

[Alan Howe]

Rufinatscha:
Symphonies 1,2,5,6 (old numbering)
Piano Concerto

Thanks for this Alan - what is meant by "old numbering"?

Please see this thread:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3821.0.html

[FBerwald]

Ries - Symphony No. 5 [a beautiful take on Beethoven's 5th!]

Raff - Symphony No. 3, 4, 5.
         Suite for Piano and orchestra Op. 200
         Cello Concerto No. 1, 2

Rontgen - [Everything... This is one composer who has yet to disappoint me.]

Rufinatscha - Symphony No. 1

Reinecke - Piano Concerto No. 2, 3

@Christopher . I'm sorry you find the Rubinstein Violin concerto unmemorable. To me it's one of his most compact works. unlike his symphonies of which I only like No. 5 . The Scherzo in particular. 

[Christopher]

Please see this thread:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,3821.0.html
[/quote]

Thanks Alan - so you mean the numbering as quoted in the first comment of that thread?