Raff, Juon (& Arensky) for 2 pianos

[Martin Eastick]

I have just noticed this, an important release with world premieres by Raff (Op207a) and Paul Juon's "Jotenheimen" Op71, suitably rounded off with Arensky's ubiquitous, but always welcome, Op15 - all for 2 pianos , of course! https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/joachim-raff-paul-juon-anton-arensky/hnum/11080633

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks, Martin. Yet another bicentennial addition to the Raff discography. There are already, or soon will be, two recordings of Op.207 in the version for piano quintet (Op.207b).

[eschiss1]

I now see this announced for Jan. 27 on Presto Classical.

[Mark Thomas]

I'm not that enthusiastic, I'm afraid. Both the Arensky Suite and the Raff are taken at a more leisurely pace than the competition (Coombs and Munro on Hyperion for the Arensky and Il Trittico on Divox for the piano quintet version of the Raff) and they lose a lot of their charm without gaining anything else in the process. It all sounds safe and pedestrian. I have no comparison for Juon's work which wasn't really my cup of tea anyway, but that's just me I appreciate. As a collector I'm pleased to have a recording of the Raff in its version for two pianos, but that's about it.