Raff's Leonore Symphony in Cupertino, California

[Mark Thomas]

I've recently had an email from Jason Klein, the music director of the Saratoga Symphony Ochestra in California. Not only does he announce a very welcome perfomance of Lenore in the Bay Area, but he has some interesting things to say from a condcutor's perspective, about the controversial (well, here at UC at least) question of the metronome markings in the score:

For what it's worth, I'd like to announce that the Saratoga (California) Symphony will perform Raff's Symphony No. 5 (Lenore) at 3:00 on March 12, 2017, at the West Valley Presbyterian Church, 6191 Bollinger Rd., Cupertino.  Admission is free, with contributions gratefully accepted.

This is part of a "Lenore's Wild Ride" program, which begins with Duparc's symphonic poem Lenore and also features Carl Heinrich Hübler's Concertstück for 4 Horns and Orchestra.  I do not know of any other instance in which Duparc's and Raff's Lenore pieces have appeared on the same program.

I appreciated greatly your review of the Jarvi recording of this symphony.  His is the only performance that shows a decent respect for the composer's metronome markings, even though, as you point out, his rigidity is sometimes rather much.  But as heartfelt as Herrmann and Stadlmair might be, I cannot reconcile their cavalier attitude toward the brisk markings.  Same, to an extent, with Carthy.  Raff could easily have marked Meno mosso, or something like that, for the C-major love theme in the first movement, but there is no indication of any sort that the tempo should vary.  And why would conductors actually go slower (!) for a section marked "Agitato" (the middle section of the march)?

My orchestra, though quite respectable, is not at the level of the Suisse Romande (or the LPO, etc.), so some compromises are necessary.  Still, I think we're striking a happy balance between the markings and the emotional content of the music.

Interestingly enough, our performance is one of two Raff symphonies scheduled this season in the San Francisco Bay area.  The Oakland-East Bay Symphony performed #3, Im Walde, a few months ago.

[Alan Howe]

That's very interesting indeed, Mark. Thanks.

[chill319]

Just out of curiosity, Mark, can you think of a place where Raff uses the marking meno mosso? One source says the earliest known usage is from 1854.

[adriano]

Towards the end of "Lenore" there is only a "poco più mosso".

[Mark Thomas]

can you think of a place where Raff uses the marking meno mosso? One source says the earliest known usage is from 1854.

Raff used it 84 times throughout his career. The earliest instance is in the Fantaisie et variations brillantes Op.6 for piano of spring 1843, published the following year. There are several other instances in his very early piano works from the mid-1840s.

[Double-A]

If this meno mosso question is about the history of the term (rather than of Raff's use of it) here is another datapoint:

One finds in Johann Benjamin Gross's cello concerto op. 14 (measure 89 first movement) the marking meno mosso.  IMSLP gives a publication date of "ca. 1832".  At any rate Gross died in 1848 and has opus numbers go up to 42, so even if the publication date is not correct the work is very likely older than the mid 1840s.

[eschiss1]

If this was the question, I gather the marking appears in works by Beethoven (unedited) - the Grosse Fuge and perhaps even earlier in the finale of Op.18/6?..., and he died in 1827. So I doubt that -was- the question? ...

[Mark Thomas]

I answered the specific issue of when Raff first used the term. Let's wait for chill319 to enlighten us on whether he was asking about Raff's first use of it, or the first use by anyone...