New Raff recording project

[Mark Thomas]

The CD will be available from 10 November.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Just in time for my birthday. Hooray!

[Alan Howe]

Wahay, lovely jubbly...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S24EJjsAZdw

[JeremyMHolmes]

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Grand%2BPiano/GP771

[Mark Thomas]

Grand Piano's mini-site promoting the CD, with an excerpt from Ode au Printemps.

[Alan Howe]

I can confirm that this is now the definitive recording of Raff's lovely PC. Hitherto it hadn't been one of my favourite works of Raff's, but this resplendent performance really does the job. Much of the success of the performance is due to Tra Nguyen's understanding of Raff's world gained from years of working on his solo piano music. She has the ability to spin wonderful, sparkling cantabile lines and also to ensure that the most forceful passages are kept within bounds so as not to allow the music to spill over into something more appropriate to Tchaikovsky. There is also some really lovely playing from the woodwind of the PRSO. The slow movement is heart-stoppingly beautiful and now surely enters the 19thC PC Hall of Fame.

I remember the late, great Alan Krueck - Draeseke and Raff expert - characterising Raff's slow music as often having an aching beauty. He was spot-on.

Hyperion have clearly missed out here big time...

[TerraEpon]

Nice.....considering the otherwise unrecorded Caprice on top of the above, I certainly have to get this disc now.

[Gareth Vaughan]

This is a beautiful performance of all works - very sensitive playing. I highly recommend this disk.

[Ilja]

Allow me to confirm Alan and Gareth's positive reviews of this recording. However, although this is certainly the best version of the concerto currently on the market, to me the work that really receives a new polish is the Ode au Printemps. Sofar I  never considered it to be among Raff's most interesting concertante works, but Tra brings a life to it that I had never heard before.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I completely agree, Ilja.