The Raff Symphonies: which one is your favourite and why?

[Alan Howe]

the Japanese performance

Hmmm. Not great. Rather scrappy.

[Mark Thomas]

That's a shame. I've downloaded it to listen later.

[Alan Howe]

I don't think it adds anything - unfortunately. It's just not well enough played.

[NickB]

I enjoy them all immensely haha. He was such a genius. And what's with the ridiculous verification for a post?

[Mark Thomas]

The verification only applies to your first couple of posts. It's part of our anti-spam defences, something which benefits the whole community here.

[Alan Howe]

the ridiculous verification for a post

It generally stops all sorts of ridiculous people posting ridiculous and sometimes offensive statements. This is something up with which we will not put (to quote a phrase).

[Joachim Raff]

Hello all,
Its like asking which is your favourite child. Saying that, alot of parents seems to to be drawn to their youngest. So I would say my favourite is the last.

[eschiss1]

Yes, but which one is your last ? No.10, I assume, despite the misleading publication of the slightly earlier no.11 with a later number? Or? (Of course if your early discarded (partly reused in the suite in C major) symphony in E minor is ever re-discovered, we'll just have to add "1" to all the numbers...)*

*Or just call it symphony no.0, Brucknerische...

[adriano]

Here some pictures inspired by Bürger's ballad "Lenore" - some of which may have inspired Raff to compose his Symphony, César Franck to compose his symphonic poem "Chasseur Maudit" and Henri Duparc his symphonic poem "Lénore".

https://eclecticlight.co/2018/09/30/the-dead-travel-fast-the-gothic-ballad-of-lenore-in-paint/

[Jonathan]

Sorry, I thought Franck's Le Chasseur Maudit was inspired by Berger's Der Wilde Jager? (Sorry for the off topic comment)

[adriano]

You are perfectly right, Jonathan, sorry!
(My long message was written at about 04:00 hrs. in the morning, during a sleepless monlight night :-)

To make it good, I add three more musical versions of "Lenore":

Franz Liszt: "Lenore" (Melodram, 1857)
https://imslp.org/wiki/Lenore,_S.346_(Liszt,_Franz)

Antonio Smareglia: "Leonora, Sinfonia descrittiva" (1876). His opera "Nozze Istriane" has been recorded by Bongiovanni (see a previous short thread of 2015).

And, last but not least - a recording from my collection which I had totally forgotten:
Anton Reicha: "Lenore, Grand musical tableau for soli, chorus and orchestra" (very recommendable; there once was a version on Orfeo; the more recent one is a superb Supraphon CD.

[eschiss1]

I'm guessing Lenore inspired Klughardt's 2nd symphony, too?

[adriano]

Definitely, eschiss1 - thanks :-)
My memory is definitely falling...

[Justin]

Is anyone familiar of this live performance of it by a Japanese Orchestra? https://youtu.be/Jl6GdVS6bkM)

It isn't terrible, but the ensemble doesn't sound all together. For example, bad notes made by the brass at 18:50. Technically sounds like each musician recorded their part alone in a studio and then someone put them all together.

[Alan Howe]

Let's forget that performance. It does Raff no favours at all.