Raff - Benedetto Marcello

[Kevin]

What's the consensus around here about this opera? I mention it because it's the only one of his operas that has a available recording as far as I know. Worth exploring? (hidden masterpiece even?)

[Mark Thomas]

Worth exploring: most definitely yes. Hidden masterpiece: no. It's a very likeable, lyrical but comparatively light piece, and pretty much what you might expect from the Raff of, say, the orchestral suites rather than the Lenore or Im Walde symphonies. My German isn't good enough to gauge the merits of Raff's self-written libretto, but I'm told that's it's not the opera's strongest component. There's a good chance that Sterling will issue in the near future a CD of the 2002 concert performance, using SWR's original recording, unlike the bootlegs currently available which are off-air dubs of the subsequent broadcast.

[Kevin]

I will explore it then. You must know Raff better than anybody, was he a man of the theater? Any one of his (6?)operas worthy of a serious reevaluation? do they rank with his chamber and orchestra pieces?

[Kevin]

There's a good chance that Sterling will issue in the near future a CD of the 2002 concert performance, using SWR's original recording, unlike the bootlegs currently available which are off-air dubs of the subsequent broadcast.

I'm getting a little confused, I thought there already was a recording of Benedetto Marcello commercially available? I even remember seeing it somewhere before.

EDIT: I found where I remember seeing it before - http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php?topic=5322.0 Is this a bootleg copy?

[Mark Thomas]

Raff was married to an actress and he certainly had a lot of knowledge of the theatre (he was even a reluctant newspaper theatre critic), but that doesn't necessarily make his works effective theatre. Like everybody else, I have heard only Benedetto Marcello and, attractive though the music certainly is, I'm not at all sure that that there's enough dramatic substance in the piece for it to work on stage. Die Eifersüchtigen, Raff's final opera, is blessed with another of Raff's self-made libretti, this one a farce set in 16th century Florence. His own wife regarded it as "innocuous", which doesn't bode well. I suspect that his models were Rossini's or Mozart's comedies, but he was clearly no da Ponte. Once again, the music way well be very enjoyable, but I suspect that the piece wouldn't work on stage.

The other two comedies Dame Kobold and Die Parole strike me as being much stronger. The former, to a libretto by Reber after Calderon's La Dama Duende is set in 17th century Spain, and was staged with some success in the 1870s. To me the action seems well-paced and faithful to the famous original. I have heard a midi-rendition of most of the score and the music fairly fizzes along - the Overture gives you a good idea of what you'd hear throughout the piece. It's successor Die Parole, sets Raff's own libretto based on someone else's play. The comedy is gentler than Dame Kobold, but is much better paced than Die Eifersüchtigen. I can't judge the effectiveness of Raff's writing or word-setting, and I don't know the score well enough to pass judgement on the music, but it was written when Raff was at the height of his powers, so I'd be confident that it would stand up musically at least.

Which leaves us with the first two operas. Certainly the first one, the "Grand, heroic opera" König Alfred was successful and highly praised when it was premiered, but despite Liszt's enthusiastic endorsement it failed to find a place in the repertoire. To me, it looks to be musically impressive and Glogau's libretto has all the right grand opera elements a la Scribe. The five act Wagnerian music drama Samson, what I have heard of it (again in midi renditions of the vocal score) sounds terrific and the piece wouldn't lack spectacle, with an extensive Act V ballet as a prelude to the hero's pulling down of the temple on the people of Gaza. It was extravagantly praised by most people who saw the score and in particular by heldentenor Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld, the creator of Wagner's Tristan, who was desperate to play the title role. His sudden death robbed Samson of its planned premiere, and it has never been performed.

As a canon the operas will probably be, as is so often the case with Raff, a curate's egg. I suspect that they all have musical merit - he put a lot of work into each one, the latter two in particular with no realistic prospect of performance or publication. I rather doubt that the final three: Die Parole, Benedetto Marcello and particularly Die Eifersüchtigen would merit staging, but that Samson, Dame Kobold and possibly König Alfred would. If it came down to supporting just one of the six for revival, it would undoubtedly be Samson.

I thought there already was a recording of Benedetto Marcello commercially available? [...] Is this a bootleg copy?

Yes. It's taken from the 2002 radio broadcast of a concert performance.

[Kevin]

Thank you for that lengthy and very informative summary Mark.

[Sharkkb8]

There's a good chance that Sterling will issue in the near future a CD of the 2002 concert performance, using SWR's original recording, unlike the bootlegs currently available which are off-air dubs of the subsequent broadcast.

Due at the beginning of the year.

https://www.amazon.com/Benedetto-Marcello-Raff/dp/B07ZLJ5VBP/ref=sr_1_165?fst=as%3Aoff&qid=1574803607&refinements=p_n_date%3A1249114011&rnid=1249111011&s=music&sr=1-165

[Alan Howe]

And here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joachim-Raff-Benedetto-Marcello-Lyrical/dp/B07ZLJ5VBP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=raff+benedetto&qid=1574807239&sr=8-1

[Kevin]

Marvellous! I saw in the other thread Dame Kobold is to be performed...hope it gets a recording too!

EDIT: 2002? what on earths been the hold up? it must be some sort of record been on ice this long.

EDIT 2: Lovely cover too.. none of the modern and silly trend of conductors with silly hand gestures and poses! Ugh!

[Alan Howe]

2002? what on earths been the hold up?

Well, Sterling's practice has often been to mine radio archives for its releases. Some have dated back decades. So, this isn't a question of a recording that Sterling's had for years - more a matter of a performance that's been around waiting for a label to issue it (and, of course, raise the funds to do so).

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, that's exactly right, Alan. I've been involved in a small way in engineering a commercial release for this radio recording, and Sterling were only able to secure rights to Südwest Rundfunk's recording, and waivers from all the artists, a few months ago. So actually things have moved rather quickly..

[Kevin]

Thank you Sir for getting it released!

[Martin Eastick]

Duly advance ordered! With many thanks also to those concerned in any way!

[MartinH]

This is fantastic news! You have no idea how much I look forward to this release. If someone had told me 45 years ago (when my interest in Raff began) that I would actually hear one of the operas, I would have thought them daft. This release can't come soon enough for me.

[Mark Thomas]

So that's two sold at least, then. 😊