Sterling has just released a new CD with a collection of works for choir, orchestra and (in one case) piano. For some reason my expectations weren't that high (compared to their previous release), but boy, was I wrong. Every single piece here is a real eye-opener, and reminds you of the reason for this forum's existence. Compliments to Bo Hyttner and Mark Thomas for having made this milestone possible!
p.s. just to make sure, I have no commercial interest in Sterling. I just think that any half-decent Raff admirer ought to own one of these.
You got a link? I assume it's not the one with the Suite for Piano and Orchestra (which I just ordered yesterday myself), as there's no chorus, but there's nothing newer listed at the Sterling website beyond that...
Hi, it's not listed on the Sterling website yet, and because I have a review copy that may mean it can take a few weeks reaching stores. Nothing on MDT yet, AFAIK.
There is a little bit of detail here
http://www.raff.org/news/cd_news.htm (http://www.raff.org/news/cd_news.htm)
Rob
This is one of the most felicitous releases I have heard for ages. Die Tageszeiten is pure, unalloyed joy from beginning to end...
Does anyone know when this is going to be available from a UK mail order website? An approximate date will do.
Very soon.
You're such a tease, Alan.
Actually, I don't have the date, but I'm pretty sure it'll be Sterling's next release.
Ok,so it's just drum the old fingers & keep a look out!
It's Sterling 1089, and since the Zweers 3 was 1088, the conclusion appears to be inevitable ;-)
So much praise for this, I almost wish I'd waited to stick it into my MDT order (which has the other Raff CD). Ah well, the next Sibelius box comes out in a couple months....
Concertzender has played these two CDs in last couple of weeks and they can be listened to on demand, June 16 0600 "Nieuw Verschenen", June 25 0900 "Klassieke Muziek Actua", and June 23 1900 "Klassieke Muziek Actua".
Quote from: jimmattt on Sunday 27 June 2010, 03:40
Concertzender has played these two CDs in last couple of weeks and they can be listened to on demand, June 16 0600 "Nieuw Verschenen", June 25 0900 "Klassieke Muziek Actua", and June 23 1900 "Klassieke Muziek Actua".
Here is a link that will work at any time if you have the right plugin:
http://www.concertzender.nl/programmagids.php?date=2010-06-23&month=0&detail=44021 (http://www.concertzender.nl/programmagids.php?date=2010-06-23&month=0&detail=44021)
Click the "speaker" icon near the top right. (right, not left. Dyslexic, me.)
Eric
For those who dont need to have the physical disk, this CD is now available on iTunes for $10.99 U.S
Its being downloaded as I type this :)
And what did you think of it? Not that I'm fishing for compliments! ;)
Rob Barnett has just uploaded his review to Music Web International (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2010/June10/Raff_CDS10892.htm).
The Sterling site has just been updated to include the new Raff disc, but no specific date is given:
http://www.sterlingcd.com/ (http://www.sterlingcd.com/)
there is no mention on Amazon or MDT yet.
All I can say is that its release is imminent. I know that the distributors have the stock but it seems as if it hasn't arrived at the retailers yet.
It's now advertised at jpc (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Joachim-Raff-Raff-Choral-Works/hnum/8778808).
It is also now noted as a pre-release (27th July) on Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Works-Choir-Piano-Orhcestra-Raff/dp/B003VB5DRU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278879958&sr=1-6 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Works-Choir-Piano-Orhcestra-Raff/dp/B003VB5DRU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278879958&sr=1-6)), with typical typos!
MDT will probably be cheaper, as they have an offer on Sterling at the moment (£10.75 per disc).
A full listing, with audio samples for each track, is now at jpc (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Joachim-Raff-Werke-f%FCr-Chor-Klavier-Orchester/hnum/8778808).
This eagerly-awaited disc has now listed on MDT: http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//CDS10892.htm (http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//CDS10892.htm)
When I was a teenager I was always in a state of excitement when a new Beatles single (on the label Parlophone, do you remember?) was released. I bought the single as soon as it was available. Never mind the price. How was the music? Was it a new memorable hit potential? Should I like it as I did with all the previous singles and LP's? The Beatles never let me down. Every new release met my expectations.
I have exactly the same feeling with a new Raff release. At this very moment I'm listening to Die Tageszeiten, op. 209. It arrived today with the two new Naxos CD's of Rubinstein's piano music by Joseph Banowetz. How to describe the feeling?
The new Raff disc is housed in a different kind of box, probably because of the 52 pages thick booklet, with Dr Avrohom Leichtling's very interesting, informative and academic notes, and the text of the Choir, both in German and English.
What an opening! Tra Nguyen is a fantastic virtuoso pianist. Yes, no doubt Raff belongs to the greatest composers of the Romantic era. With this work Raff proves it again. What an original opus. Sterling: thank you very much. This CD is real value for money with 79:52 minutes Raff.
I'm going to have a very civilized evening with Raff and Rubinstein, that's for sure.
I'm glad that you liked Tageszeiten, Peter, It's a very special piece and, as you say, the opening is a stunner. I'll be very interested to read what you think of the companion pieces on the CD.
I think that's the longest duration for any cd I've heard of. My longest is seventy nine minutes and thirty seconds,I believe! So that's money well spent,in more ways than one. (Incidentally,do any cd's last for over 80 mins? Playing times do seem to have increased,a little).
If my memory doesn't fail me, the actual limit is about 80 minutes and a couple of seconds (twelve, I thought). In theory, it can be more on a lower sampling rate, and I believe that was used occasionally. But then it apparently doesn't work on all players.
I'm almost sure I've seen mentioned or reviewed commercial CDs as long as 82 minutes? but with the caveat that they don't work on all players...
Eric
The DGG CD box "Chopin Complete Edition" (17 CDs) has coupled both PCs on one disc: TT 81:40.
And now, after a hard working day, a glass of wine and... I give the new Raff another spin. A most pleasant start of the weekend!
My 18 year old cd player,(I do have a newer one),can cope with 79 min 30 sec,without any problems. (I even put in a cd-r once,by mistake,but it still played,albeit with an annoying ticking noise!) I'll have to look at my collection again & see if I have an 80 min,one. Is there any difference in quality on an extra long one. I bought a dvd box set of Amazon today,and one reviewer was grumbling that the uk release (a US show) was on 3 discs as opposed to the USA version's 4. He reckoned that the sampling rate to get it onto 3 dvd's resulted in an inferior picture quality. Whether this would affect the quality of a cd,I don't know. (At any rate I ended up buying the US version,but partly because a uk seller was offering it at a low price.)
I hope I'm not getting too way off topic here,better get back onto the Raff cd,soon!
Funny,I was just looking at a Chopin cd,(Argerich).
Quote from: eschiss1 on Friday 23 July 2010, 13:41
I'm almost sure I've seen mentioned or reviewed commercial CDs as long as 82 minutes? but with the caveat that they don't work on all players...
Eric
The longest is 82:30. The longest I know of is the first disc of the first Sibelius Edition box (tone poems. Highly recommended to all here!). It's 82:27 (so long it doesn't have the standard 20 seconds of quiet that other BIS CDs do). I have quite a number of other CDs over 80 minutes as well.
Apparently, anything above 77:30 carries the exact same amount of 'risk' of not playing. ALSO apparently, Robert von Bahr of BIS said he's never gotten a single complaint.
Quote from: Pengelli on Friday 23 July 2010, 16:27I bought a dvd box set of Amazon today,and one reviewer was grumbling that the uk release (a US show) was on 3 discs as opposed to the USA version's 4. He reckoned that the sampling rate to get it onto 3 dvd's resulted in an inferior picture quality. Whether this would affect the quality of a cd,I don't know.
Nope. The CD standard specifies that all audio will be at exactly 44/16 no matter how long. So a 10 minute CD or an 80 minute CD, nothing about the length will affect the quality.
A DVD however can hold higher quality video at a cost of taking up more space, as it's compressed. It's more like different qualities of Mp3s.
Die Tageszeiten is, to my ears, the main course of the CD. The stunning piano opening and the heartfelt andante with its subtle piano writing and intense melody, are ever so beautiful.
However, the other three works are hardly less interesting. I'm particularly caught by Einer Entschlafenen because of the serene melody. The opening reminds me, only for a few seconds, of Brahms's Alto Rhapsody. And what a gorgeous wind playing opening of the fourth movement of Die Sterne.
For fully enjoying these works it is, as I see it, necessary to read Dr Avrohom Leichtling's liner notes. This will give you so much more valuable information about the music, especially the texts. What is it all about? How did Raff combine the text with his music? And there is another (probably personal) reason why the notes are very valuable. Although I speak the German language rather well, I just can't recognize the words the choir sings. So I listen while reading the text in the booklet at the same time.
Except for Morgenlied (by JG Jacobi) the English translation of all other poetry (by Raff and Raff's daughter) is done by Alan! Both Mark and Alan deserve our congratulations for their contributions to the release of this wonderful Raff CD.
I still didn't get The Tageszeiten, but I'll place an order immediately, based on all your comments in this thread. Are there any works for/with piano & orchestra by Raff left unrecorded, or is this it?
During my vacation I visited some interesting music stores in Amsterdam and Berlin (it was to be either Duisburg or Berlin and, reading the news, I now see we've made the right decision). In Berlin I found a CD which I didn't even know existed - probably since it was released only a couple of years after I was born... It's a Claves disc with the D minor Konzertstück by Busoni coupled with the G major Konzertstück and the piano concerto by Raff, played by a certain Jean-Francois Antonioli.
I wonder if I now have all recordings by the Raff Konzertstück & concerto, since I know of only 3 each. (It of course made me wonder again what else I may have missed, since a programme for a CD can hardly get any more interesting...)
Rather ridiculous, perhaps, to have the Konzertstück & concerto threefold, but neither the suite or the Tageszeiten, but I was afraid I'd never find this 22-years old (!) CD somewhere else!
By the way, in Amsterdam I finally picked up the Hyperion Vol. 50. I already regret that decision!
For me, the Antonioli is probably the best recording of Raff's great piano concerto (don't care that much about the Busoni, to be frightfully honest). Ponti is at least as much fun, but I can't quite get past the comedy factor.
Quote from: Ilja on Thursday 29 July 2010, 13:29
For me, the Antonioli is probably the best recording of Raff's great piano concerto (don't care that much about the Busoni, to be frightfully honest). Ponti is at least as much fun, but I can't quite get past the comedy factor.
I'm listening to the recording as I write, and I have to agree with you. As far as Raff goes, anyway. The Busoni I really like - but that's just because I'm a die-hard Busoni fanatic ;D
Kriton wrote:
QuoteAre there any works for/with piano & orchestra by Raff left unrecorded, or is this it?
Raff has done very well in recent years. With the two recent Sterling CDs, the previous one including the Suite for Piano & Orchestra, not only is "that it" for the works for piano and orchestra, there are no purely orchestral or concerted works by Raff left unrecorded, including the free-standing overtures and preludes to operas and choral works. Also all his significant chamber music has been recorded (if not yet issued in a few cases) apart from the Cello Sonata and a Suite for Violin and Piano. Of course, there are still six operas, at least half a dozen more large works for chorus and orchestra and a whole library of piano music and songs to go at!
I do agree with Ilja and Kriton about Antonioli's performance of the Piano Concerto - by some way the best on CD (with apologies to fans of Ponti).
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Thursday 29 July 2010, 16:32
Kriton wrote: QuoteAre there any works for/with piano & orchestra by Raff left unrecorded, or is this it?
Raff has done very well in recent years. With the two recent Sterling CDs, the previous one including the Suite for Piano & Orchestra, not only is "that it" for the works for piano and orchestra, there are no purely orchestral or concerted works by Raff left unrecorded, including the free-standing overtures and preludes to operas and choral works. Also all his significant chamber music has been recorded (if not yet issued in a few cases) apart from the Cello Sonata and a Suite for Violin and Piano. Of course, there are still six operas, at least half a dozen more large works for chorus and orchestra and a whole library of piano music and songs to go at!
I do agree with Ilja and Kriton about Antonioli's performance of the Piano Concerto - by some way the best on CD (with apologies to fans of Ponti).
Hope someone will get on the cello sonata, though!
Eric
I would just like to now officially sing the praises of the new Sterling disc of Raff choral works. It's difficult to find the right superlatives to adequately describe this disc and all those who have already acquired the cd, know just how superb the latest Raff release is. Perhaps if I say this cd is already my favourite cd of all time of choral works, not just by Raff but indeed by any composer, is testament to what I feel about the 4 absolutely outstanding works on the cd. We are all indebted to Mark for his part in the production of this cd.
Cheers
Dennis
I blush...
And so you should, Mark. With head held high, of course!
I finally got to hear this wonderful, thrilling disk. WHERE HAS THIS MUSIC BEEN? Die Tageszeiten is a masterpiece: original, beautifully scored, interesting and 40 minutes of marvelous music making. If proof was ever needed of Raff's genius, here it is. This brings together several other threads:
First, as to bad music. Not this Raff! But I just can't stand the Beethoven Choral Fantasy. Talk about overrated. Raff is so much more enjoyable on every level.
Secondly, regarding packaging. I've never encountered a cd box like this. But I love it. Because of the plastic used it won't crack or chip. The hinges won't snap off. Surprisingly it occupies no more space than a normal jewel box. I would like to see all disks released in this friendlier container.
Third: the booklet is exemplary. Bravo Avrohom where ever you are!
WHo would have thought 30 years ago that there would be so much Raff to hear today? I thought getting the symphonies was a miracle. Now we have chamber music, solo piano music, concerti, and choral music. Now -- on to an opera!!!!!!
I got this the other day -- and once again I'm amazed at how wonderful Raff is. I'm /this/ close to start becoming a Raff 'completionist' (i.e try to get recordings of as many works of his as I can). Would be a lot of money though, even with as much unrecorded as there is (lack of box sets hurts).
The liner notes are fantastic too. I especially liked the analysis of the second movement of Die Tageszeiten
At the risk of sounding smug, thanks for the thumbs up, TerraEpon. It's really satisfying that so many have found this CD so rewarding, especially so when I recall what a leap in the dark it was. I knew of Die Tageszeiten and Die Sterne, of course, but had never heard them and my score reading skills certainly aren't up to judging the value of a work before I hear it. It was Tra Nguyen, the pianist, who persuaded me that Tageszeiten must be recorded, and how right she was. Sterne was an even bigger leap of faith as it was still in manuscript and had never been performed before the recording sessions.
Sitting in the fourth row at the Umeå concert hall, the only audience for the recording sessions, and hearing the glorious first movement of Tageszeiten being played for the first time in over 100 years or the magical fourth movement of Sterne get its first ever performance must rank as amongst the high spots of my musical life. This Unsung business can be a very rewarding one.
Is it possible to obtain the text for each of these works in German and English? I purchased this album digitally and wasn't aware that the booklet only comes when you get the physical CD.
I've emailed you a pdf of the booklet text.
Thank you so much, Mark! The Largo from "Die Sterne" is amazing.
Oh yes. :)