Rufinatscha Symphony No.3

[Alan Howe]

I think the 'Huberisms' would mainly be to do with orchestral colour rather than themes or structure.

[Alan Howe]

I was wondering whether anyone else has ordered the CD...? Any further opinions?

[Gareth Vaughan]

I have listened to this work five times now and am enormously impressed. It is a major composition by anyone's standards and places Rufinatscha IMHO firmly in the frontline of 19th century symphonists. The symphonic architecture is highly accomplished without in any way being "academic". More than ever it illustrates the line between Schubert and Bruckner. This is music of high seriousness with its roots firmly in Beethoven but blossoming into a distinctive individual voice.
Mr Huber's reconstruction strikes me as sensitive and, as far as one can be certain in such matters, probably pretty faithful to the composer's intentions. I now long to hear a performance by one of the big professional orchestras - not that the Akadamie St Blasius are less than professional or committed, but the music really demands a bigger, and dare I say "sleeker" sound. I have only one criticism of the playing and that is that, to my ears at least, the Trio of the 3rd movt lacks charm, especially since Mr Huber has produced some delicious passages for the woodwind.
The three arias are also very fine and a valuable addition to the catalogue of this composer's recorded work.

[Alan Howe]

I have listened to this work five times now and am enormously impressed. It is a major composition by anyone's standards and places Rufinatscha IMHO firmly in the frontline of 19th century symphonists.

It's good to have another view - and such a positive one at that. Thanks, Gareth. Now to get the piece recorded by a bigger orchestra in a more flattering acoustic...

[Jonathan]

I ordered all the Rufinatscha discs from the museum shop last week and am eagerly awaiting the parcel!

[Jonathan]

And the parcel arrived yesterday - hope to listen to some of these possibly over the weekend! 

[Alan Howe]

I understand that Michael Huber had only heard symphonies 1, 2 and 4 (5) before completing his work on the 3rd. He was told that Symphony No.4 (5) would probably be the closest to No.3 in terms of style. Rufinatscha's orchestral style wasn't hard to grasp (he wasn't an innovator like Berlioz), so faithful orchestration wasn't too difficult to achieve. The only liberty he allowed himself was in the music given to the trumpets – which involves chromatic writing that Rufinatscha couldn't have envisaged. However, he did decide on a more brilliant sound overall – as well as composing extra counterpoint for the development sections of the outer movements and cross-references between movements.

The biggest problem he faced was the obvious one: how to fill in the places where the strings weren't playing. Apparently features such as the trills in the scherzo/trio were entirely his idea - as were the timpani strokes. In the second movement (from 1:35) the wind/brass parts had to be made up from scratch as the strings are silent there and are supposed to sound like Bruckner.

Apparently Herr Huber only recently realised that Rufinatscha used the same theme in the finale of both the 3rd and 4th symphonies!

Interesting...

[Mark Thomas]

Quite fascinating. He really has done a convincing job. It would be a very welcome development if he were to be commissioned to orchestrate the three orphaned movements of the unfinished symphony. Any chance of that?

[Alan Howe]

We may hope...

[Alan Howe]

Further thoughts on Rufinatscha:

1.  He fills the gap between Schubert and Bruckner – perhaps between Mendelssohn/Schumann and Bruckner because his style reminds us more of Mendelssohn/Schumann than of Schubert. Comparisons could also be made with Robert Volkmann.

2.  He couldn't quite free himself from the influence of Beethoven - which we can hear in the first movement of the 3rd Symphony. He's at his best when he remembers his Tyrolean roots and doesn't try to compose under the spell of Beethoven – e.g. the Scherzo of Symphony No.3.  The slow movement unfortunately lacks the development technique of Beethoven or Bruckner. The finale is interesting because rhythm is made the determining feature of the music.

3. What his symphonies lack is the sense of resolution of a Beethoven finale – not one finale resolves into the major, so the listener is left feeling unsatisfied because the music feels somewhat oppressive. In this respect he could have learned something from Mendelssohn 3 or Schumann 4.

4.  As for his stature – point 3 may be negative, but he is an extremely interesting symphonist: conservative, but very forward-looking in his best moments, e.g. the Scherzo of Symphony No.4 (5) is very close to Bruckner. The slow movements of Nos. 2, 4 (5) and 5 (6) have something of Bruckner's solemnity. He also lacks the ability to develop melody convincingly – much sounds 'academic'. Perhaps he should have been more daring.

5. Rufinatscha is more progressive in his piano sonatas and songs. Perhaps his piano sonatas, if orchestrated, would give us a taste of the Rufinatscha we would really like to hear!

What do forum members think?

[eschiss1]

"not one finale resolves into the major"-

speaking subjectively this would fail to bother me at all, done right. (Several other B minor symphonies come to mind as having memorable, even stunning, endings in the minor- Tchaikovski 6, Herrmann 2, perhaps Gliere 3, others certainly...)  Must listen to all of symphony 4/5/B minor (I've, well, erm, cheated and listened to some of it as uploaded/posted on YouTube. Indeed sounds wonderful and remarkable, what I've heard. If/when I have the funds, etc., etc. etc., I hope to purchase some of those recordings...)

[Alan Howe]

This doesn't bother me either, Eric. Indeed, it seems to me to be one of the most distinctive and novel-sounding features of Rufinatscha's symphonies.

[Alan Howe]

Eric: I think the following points (submitted to me) might be relevant in response:

1. A great symphony must exhibit proper dramatic development overall – which Rufinatscha's symphonies do not.

2.  There is no valid comparison with Tchaikovsky 6 or Glière 3. The former, for example, embodies a developing drama throughout whereas, for example Rufinatscha's 4th (B minor) does not. The Glière is a programme symphony – quite a different animal.

3. It may be that Rufinatscha was too introverted or modest a character to be able to give his emotions free rein in music – especially in comparison to, say, Berlioz or Schumann who packed everything into their music.

4. Significantly, Rufinatcha's last surviving composition – the Andante in A major – shows no sign of the poverty, bitterness or illness of his final years. It's calm and magical: no sign of bitterness or struggle at all.

[Alan Howe]

The most interesting point is this question of a perceived lack of development in Rufinatscha's symphonies. The impression, I suppose, is of a mood which doesn't really change over the course of an entire work.

For me, though, this is part of the fascination: there is a dogged solemnity which (especially in Symphonies 3, 4 and 5) characterises these works throughout as no other. There may not be the sense of 'release' typical of other symphonists, but there is, by way of compensation, the feeling that struggles aren't necessarily so easily overcome...

[eschiss1]

Maybe Robert Hermann's 2nd might be the closest point of contact, given those descriptions (relatively, relatively) and given that I really, really like that B minor symphony too (and find it sufficiently, minatorily powerful that I can't listen to it more than once-a-while, I think - thanks, inter alia, to Mr. Fifield, for directing such a fine and striking performance thereof...) - my interest is piqued.

I do wish more of his public-domain (which would be most of his 1st edition) scores survived that could be perused and perhaps digitized for consideration, and perhaps wider distribution of e.g. his chamber works, etc. ... - well, I should say that they do, to my knowledge, but Swiss libraries hold on to them closer-to-the-vest than some other places do...)