Raff 2022

[Mark Thomas]

Eric, it was certainly their intention to do the same for the Draeseke CDs, but I don't know whether anything has been done yet.

[Alan Howe]

Trouble is, Eric, Alan Krueck was the IDS!

[eschiss1]

Trouble is, Eric, Alan Krueck was the IDS!

I thought he was the Draeseke Society of North America. Hrm. If he was also the International Society, Ok, I can see how that would be a problem, then.

[eschiss1]

That would explain why his address hasn't been taken off the site yet (though then again someone -must- be maintaining the site for them to have posted so many tributes to him, but the same people haven't taken his address off it yet- confusing...) ... it also may mean their domain will expire soon if he was funding it. Will have to watch out for that if anything I've edited links to it. That sort of thing I need to know, yes...

poss. solution to problem - I think me I mean der IDG, wer in Heiligenberg ist.

[Mark Thomas]

draeseke.org was quite independent of Alan Krueck and it isn't threatened by his death. Bob Rej does a wonderful job with it.

But yes, matters for Draeseke aren't as straightforward as they are for Raff. There is a Draeseke Gesellschaft in Germany but I understand that they haven't shown any interest in the CDs. The last I heard was that the Draeseke CDs might remain in the US and be sold from there, but that was mooted some months ago ...  In fairness, we should remember that Alan died intestate and his executors can only move as quickly as Pennsylvania's probate laws will allow them to move.

In the meantime,  I believe that both the Raff and the Draeseke CDs can be bought from Records International and jpc.

[Alan Howe]

The IDS, although theoretically one organisation, effectively operated as two: one inside Germany and one in the USA through the work of Alan Krueck. As far as making recordings was concerned, it was Dr Krueck who was the driving force. As Mark says, at least the Draeseke website was not maintained by him, but by the excellent Bob Rej (as is still the case).

[chill319]

Thank you, Mark. I'd checked Edition Nordstern before, but, for better or worse (better because there was obviously some demand), that is out of print.

[eschiss1]

Re opus 14 first version - if interloaning it from a library is possible and will suffice for one's purposes, the Swiss National Library has the 1845 Breitkopf & Härtel edition on which Nordstern (and Volker Tosta) probably based theirs, and other libraries have the 1994/2004 Nordstern edition and/or reprint (including in the US Columbia U. Library, Juilliard,  New York Public Library, and others.) (hrm. maybe it's time for them to reprint it again- well, 10 years between the first two- in 2014 maybe.)

(Actually, belay that- the editions say (c)1994 and (c)2004- if the latter is legitimate (of course it might not be, copyfraud is common) then the 2004 it is no mere reprint but a substantially revised newer edition with yet again much fixed over the 1994 publication.)

[Mark Thomas]

Alternatively, Chris, you could try emailing Edition Nordstern's proprietor, Volker Tosta, and see if he is able to sell you a PDF of the score. It's worth a try.

[giles.enders]

Well done Mark.  Would it be possible to list all of Raff's recorded music that is currently available so that it can be found in ONE place for internet browsers?  If the scores of the cello sonata and the two pieces for violin and piano are available I will give thought to having them played at Conway Hall, London in the 2012 season. (2011 is already finalised)

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Hope Mark won't object if, uninvited, I offer a reply on his behalf!

Why do you consider that Mark's own incredibly exhaustive website, Raff.org., isn't the source which you seek? On it one can easily find just about everything about Raff apart from his laundry bills. It includes a list of all known recordings, and authoritative reviews of many of them. And all the information you seek is on ONE site.

On a kind of epistemological point it would never be possible to say that the list of recordings is utterly complete, any more than it would be possible to say that every piece of music (apart perhaps from that notorious piece of John Cage) contains sounds. But I've never encountered a soundless piece of music, anymore than I've ever tried to find out about a particular Raff recording that isn't on Mark's lists! (I suppose in fairness there may be some multi-composer compilations that contain, say, just one song by Raff - but they are surely not of a great deal of interest).

Maybe I haven't quite understood the question - in which case I apologise!

Peter

[Mark Thomas]

Thank you Peter!

Giles, there's a complete (subject to Peter's caveats, of course) discography at www.raff.org/records/discog/cd_sym.htm. The score of the CelloSonata is available for download from the site at: www.raff.org/scores/library.htm.

I'm not sure which are the two pieces for violin and piano to which you refer and perhaps you could be more specific. Apologies if I'm being dim. Performances would be wonderful, of course! I have a recording of a private performance of the Cello Sonata if you want to gauge it's worth...

[giles.enders]

I have to hold my hand up and confess that I am not particularly interested in Raff so hadn't checked the offerings from Google very well.  I am always willing to do what I can for 19th & early 20th c composers though.