Raff opera performances and recordings

[Mark Thomas]

To mark Raff's bicentenary next year, there are plans at various stages of certainty for performances of his early four act biblical epic Samson and the comedy Die Eifersüchtigen, Raff's final opera, which is set in 16th century Florence. Samson will have two unconnected performances, one fully staged and the other a concert performance for which a recording is planned. It's hoped that the concert performance of Die Eifersüchtigen will also be recorded. Finally, there are tentative plans for a recording of the comedy Dame Kobold, the performances of which in Regensburg last autumn were so well received, although not necessarily with the same forces. I stress than none of this is definite at this stage, and I definitely can't divulge any more details, but wouldn't it be wonderful if we ended up in a couple of years' time with recordings of three more of Raff's operas to add to that of Benedetto Marcello?

[eschiss1]

Yes. It very much would.

... Does that mean that of them only King Alfred would lack for a recent performance? (And if I recall, some of these works, when you prepared your book, had never yet been performed at all except that is for their overtures and some excerpts?)

[Alan Howe]

Any unfamilar Raff is to be eagerly awaited, but to hear more of his operatic output is an exciting prospect indeed. For me it'll be especially fascinating to hear his take on the Samson story; it'll need a strong tenor, though!

[eschiss1]

That is an 'orrible pun 😉

[Alan Howe]

That is an 'orrible pun 😉

...an unintended one, as it happens. Read what happened when the opera was originally staged:

Unfortunately for Raff there were several problems which prevented it being staged, the most crucial being the lack of a suitable tenor to sing Samson. Eventually, the great Wagner heldentenor Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld was secured for the title role and Raff began reorchestrating the work.
https://www.raff.org/music/detail/vocal/samson.htm

[Mark Thomas]

Does that mean that of them only King Alfred would lack for a recent performance? (And if I recall, some of these works, when you prepared your book, had never yet been performed at all except that is for their overtures and some excerpts?)

If it all comes off then four of the six operas will have had recent performances (assuming we count Benedetto Marcello's 2002 outing as "recent"), leaving out not only König Alfred, but also Die Parole (Raff's fourth opera). Of the six, only König Alfred and Dame Kobold were performed in Raff's lifetime and to date Samson, Die Parole and Die Eifersüchtigen have never been performed except, as you say, for recording of the Prelude to Act III of Samson and the overtures of the other two.

For me it'll be especially fascinating to hear his take on the Samson story; it'll need a strong tenor, though!

That's absolutely true. It all hinges on the title role. Von Carolsfeld had just created the role of Tristan but he died, and the opera died with him. That gives you an idea of the sort of voice needed.

[eschiss1]

Sometimes getting the tenor part just right can hold everything up. (Yes, I know that tenor comes from tenere, to hold. That seems to be the origin from Renaissance days or earlier of the "tenor" part, in fact.)