The Raff Symphonies: which one is your favourite and why?

[FBerwald]

Is there any way another complete cycle of Raff Symphonies might come out? Surely CPO or Hyperion must see the potential for doing a cycle with a conductor who is sympathetic to Raff's music. Järvi's incomplete set just screams out for completion as does the Rufinatscha symphony cycle, but as Alan says, that's the topic for another post.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I don't think that's very realistic, I'm afraid. One presumes Chandos cut short Jaarvi's proposed recordings of Raff - and there were only two more symphonies (3 & 4) planned - because 2 and 5 did not sell enough copies for the company to think it financially worthwhile to continue. A great shame IMHO, but there we are.

[Mark Thomas]

I have been told that the reason the Chandos/Järvi cycle was abandoned wasn't poor sales, but because it was dependent on Järvi continuing as principal conductor of L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Parts had already been ordered for recordings of Symphonies Nos.3 Im Walde and 4, the sessions were booked and Järvi was reportedly enthusiastic about the music, but his contract renewal negotiations with the orchestra broke down unexpectedly and he left quite suddenly. The planned Raff recordings were collateral damage. Maybe the orchestra being Swiss brought with it some Swiss money too, I don't know, but for whatever reason it was Järvi's unexpected departure from Geneva that killed the project.

[Gareth Vaughan]

That certainly is a very great shame, Mark. Thanks for the clarification,  though.

[Justin]

Raff's 11 symphonies have been mentioned in Dave Hurwitz's list of "10 Essential 19th- Century Symphony Cycles for Non-Beginners." At 19:44.

[Alan Howe]

Please see this new thread on Hurwitz's choices:
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,9268.msg94655.html#new