Rauchenecker Symphony No. 1 in F minor, etc.

[Alan Howe]

I wonder whether anyone who has heard the new recording has noticed the similarity with Dvorak? It's hard not to be reminded of the latter's 9th Symphony, it seems to me - e.g. in the brass and woodwind writing, and general 'open-air' flavour of the piece. There are also occasional pre-echoes of Elgar.

[Justin]

My favorite portion from this album is the Meno Mosso section from the Oriental Fantasy. Gorgeous lyrical melody in the violin that reminds me a bit of Raff's string quartets at times.

To me it doesn't sound like something from the Orient but it is beautiful nonetheless. More like a wistful sunny day in the countryside with little movement yet much feeling.

[Mark Thomas]

David Hurwitz's take on the CD is here. It's titled "Oblivion, Thy Name Is Rauchenecker", which tells you all you need to know. Oh dear.

[terry martyn]

I bought it,and I have tried to like it.  But I have failed ,and it is going to the back of the shelves. It arrived alongside the Loewe, and has suffered by way of comparison. Hurwitz may be over the top,but he made me chuckle and nod my head. I once spent an evening,wandering the streets of Winterthur. That was a dull evening too!

[hyperdanny]

dear oh dear , uncle Dave is really having a field day with poor Rauchenecker.
I have it, but I haven't got the chance to listen to it..that's going to be interesting.

[Mark Thomas]

FWIW, I think he's completely wrong-headed about the Symphony but not too far off the mark with the other two works on the CD, which certainly are workaday by comparison (although not as bad as Hurwitz's hyperbole would have you believe). I also quite like Winterthur....

[TerraEpon]

I gave it a listen, and while it's not bad per se, it didn't engage me enough to want to buy the CD.

[Alan Howe]

Hurwitz is clearly and demonstrably wrong on two counts:

1. The Symphony is full of memorable ideas. If I can recall them, why can't he? Perhaps he just hasn't listened hard enough - or with enough interest.
2. Historically (1875-6), the work is significant for the clear influence of Wagner, especially as regards its orchestration. I can't think of any German symphony of that period that sounds like the Rauchenecker. This is emphatically NOT generic German romanticism.

These are facts - whether or not one actually likes the music...

I care much less about the couplings. I don't think they amount to much. But the Symphony is much better than Hurwitz makes out. He's often right, but not here, I'm afraid.

[Ilja]

I would say that whether something is memorable or not cannot be an objective fact, though. It depends on personal mental association and cultural context. A piece which quotes Land of Hope and Glory will immediately be memorable to an Englishman but perhaps entirely forgettable for a Spaniard.

While I'm not nearly as negative as our Dave, I can't entirely disagree when he says Rauchenecker's music as displayed here does lack personality. The symphony is by far the best piece of the bunch, but if I hear these pieces independently of one another I might not guess they were written by the same composer.

[Alan Howe]

I would say that whether something is memorable or not cannot be an objective fact

Well, the Symphony is full of memorable tunes. I'm no expert, but they're pretty obvious - and I'm not German!

As for lack of personality, I've no real idea what that means here. As I said, there is no German symphony from the period that I'm aware of that sounds like the Rauchenecker, so that would make it pretty unusual, wouldn't it?

Anyway, I'm not making a statement about the stature of the symphony, but rather about its catchy melodiousness (contra Hurwitz's misrepresentation of the piece) and Wagner-influenced orchestration (contra Hurwitz's poor understanding of its historical context).

if I hear these pieces independently of one another I might not guess they were written by the same composer.

That might be an argument in favour of the composer!

[John Boyer]

Memorable themes...

When I first listened to the symphony, I wrote it off as just another one of the many (and I mean many) workman-like but unremarkable products of the 19th century that are discussed here. But by the third time through I came to really appreciate it. It really is above average at the very least.  And I must emphasize the phrase "by the third time through". It takes study to mine the treasures of a musical composition. The best works are not always the ones that have immediate appeal.

I have always questioned these attacks on unsung composers based on an alleged lack of memorable themes, because when you think about it, the greatest composers seldom wrote any either. This is not a criticism.  When you think of Beethoven, Brahms, and especially Bruckner, what interests us are not their tunes — of  which there are not many — but how they work out their ideas and structure their harmony. Of course, every once in a while these composers (except Bruckner, of course) do write a full-fledged hummable tune, but they stand out for their very rarity. For the most part, we remember the thematic fragments by which they build their works because of their familiarity, because we've heard them so many times.

And if one of the unsung composers does manage to write an immediately memorable, hummable tune, then he is written off as being a mere tunesmith. You just can't win.

[Reverie]

And if one of the unsung composers does manage to write an immediately memorable, hummable tune, then he is written off as being a mere tunesmith. You just can't win.

I guess that sums it up John Boyer. I found it bizarre when he gave Rauchenecker a brownie point for including an english horn in the score. In fact he said it again a minute or so later so I guess it must have been two brownie points 

[Alan Howe]

Hurwitz has really got this wrong. When he's good, he's very, very good; when he's bad, he's horrid.

[semloh]

Here's my personal non-technical tuppence-worth.
 
I thought at first that the Symphonic Overture was perhaps no more than 'standard fare', but I was soon proved wrong.The structure is standard enough - breezy start, some lyrical passages, and a rousing finale, but I soom warmed to it. At times, it sounds to me like it's from Ma Vlast, with the river alternately swirling in shimmering strings and dashing along with the brasswind. It even has a final shimmer in the closing bars, just like the Smetana. In an earlier post - in response to the sound samples - I said the samples recalled the Rhinemaidens. Whether it's the Rhine or the Moldau, I've really enjoyed the journey!

As for the symphony, nobody could miss the 'in your face' tune running throughout the first movement. Obvious, overstated, simplistic - well maybe, but certainly memorable, and and I went away humming it. The hymn-like Adagio is tender and charming; the Allegro sounds like Dvorak, and is just the right length; the final movement is perhaps a tad too long, but still engaging. Overall, I suppose the symphony could be considered derivative and unoriginal, but I found it a great pleasure, and I couldn't miss a note.

Finally, perhaps the Oriental Phantasie is best heard without knowing its title, as there's nothing Oriental about it. The music is attractive, however, and the performance is sparkling.

Perhaps I'm an undemanding listener, but for me this disc is good value and the music hugely enjoyable.

[Alan Howe]

I'm still waiting for someone to name a symphony in the German tradition that sounds anything like this - remembering that its date is 1875/6. It's simply not the sort of standard symphonic fare (for its date, that is) that Hurwitz imagines it to be.