Even more Raff on its way from Sterling

[Sharkkb8]

Gregory, I am now assured by Bo that it is the new pressing, so all should be OK. I have yet to hear it myself, however, so I can't guarantee that the issues which required the making of a new master have been resolved. To that extent, I'm afraid that it's still fingers crossed!

Good enough for me - I already chose to go not-so-gentle-into-that-good-night as far as the "hovering finger" was concerned, so we shall see.  Then again, I'm on the other side of the world from MDT, so if there are others on this forum, geographically closer, who place the same order, they are of course likely to get their copies well ahead of me.  I'll happily report on what I get but maybe others will beat me to it?!  Thanks, Mark - over these last few years I think we all sense, understand, and sympathize with your frustration with this long, sad story but maybe a wonderful musical recording is, at long last, at hand.  Our thanks to you.

Gregory

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks, that's very much appreciated. The final, recent missive in a flurry of emails between the UK and Sweden has brought confirmation that all sets which will be available from retail channels are manufactured to order by Wyastone using the new master, and that includes those supplied to MDT. I also have a few sets coming my way, so I'll be able to report on the success of the remastering as soon as they arrive.

[Jonathan]

I've just ordered this from JPC, along with the Draeseke complete piano music CD that was mentioned on another thread! So much to listen to, really looking forward to hearing these!

[Sharkkb8]

MDT got their new cd out to me in record time, and a quick listen to the Prometheus Unbound reveals a complete lack of thumping.  Just as composed.   

[Jonathan]

My copy arrived yesterday from JPC, I plan to have a proper listen later on today. 

[adriano]

Conductor Lorenzo Coladonato (a friend of mine). will present Raff's Ninth Symphony and his "Eine Feste Burg" op.127 in Schaffhausen, on Saturday March 18th, 2017. The Orchestra will be the Musikkollegium Winterthur. In the same program, a Mozart Piano Concerto will be performed by Andrew Tyson

[Mark Thomas]

I plan to be there, with any luck!

[Mark Thomas]

I have just received several copies of the final pressing of this 2 CD set, which has been made by Wyastone with new masters. Although I haven't had chance to listen to the recordings yet, I am assured that the artefacts which marred the original discs have been removed. I do hope that's so, and that after five years I can safely recommend this important release to all Raff enthusiasts.

[Gareth Vaughan]

You must be very grateful, Mark. It's been a long haul.

[Mark Thomas]

Thankful, Gareth, certainly. Grateful? No, not really: it should never have taken five years to correct the masters. But, moving on....

[Alan Howe]

I'm glad the torture's over, Mark - for your sake.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Hear, hear! You deserved much better.

[TerraEpon]

I bought this almost two months ago. I don't notice any issues with the sound.
(I do note however that, like all recent Waystone-distributed releases, it's a CDR)

Great release though. I am curious about one thing the liner notes seem a bit vague on -- the 'original' version of the overture for Bernhard von Weimar, is it lost? The notes seem to imply what is recorded is the published Op. 127 but it's not 100% clear.

[Mark Thomas]

When the recording was made the manuscript of the full incidental music to Bernhard von Weimar was indeed lost. Only the two marches had been published. The Overture was revised several times by Raff, transposing it from C major to D major, altering the ending and changing some of the instrumentation. The revised piece is about 25% longer than the original Bernhard von Weimar Overture and was published as the Overture Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott Op.127. The recording uses this later version, together with the two marches. A few months after it was made I located an autograph of the full original BvW score in Berlin (and subsequently another copy in Wemar!), but obviously it was too late then to record the Overture.  That said, what's on the CD does give a very fair representation of the full BvW score: the Overture and marches together amount to more than 75% of the incidental music, the bulk of the rest comprises unaltered repeats of the closing pages of the Overture and the first march, together with 8 very short fanfares or marches for trumpets and/or drums.

Although Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott has been recorded before, there's no modern recording of this important piece which seems to be slowly regaining its place in concert halls (in Germany and Switzerland at least).

Having listened to both re-mastered CDs I'm relieved to report that they are indeed blessedly free of the defects which marred the earlier pressings. The performances themselves are absolutely first rate.

[MartinH]

Speaking of Ein feste Burg...have you seen this?

http://www.artsjournal.com/2017/02/did-a-violin-teach-in-texas-just-break-elgars-enigma.html