Rufinatscha from Chandos

[JimL]

The Rufinatscha CD is already available for download at http://www.theclassicalshop.net/.  I know, because I've downloaded it and have now listened to it a couple of times.  Having been completely ignorant even of Rufinatscha's existence until I came across this blog, and having seen his name bandied about here in terms of awe and yearning, I was almost wary of finally hearing him and being disappointed.  Well, I wouldn't call his music a life-changing experience, but it's certainly of sufficiently high quality to render him more than worthy of revival.  On the evidence of this one symphony and a very attractive overture, I'd describe him as a sort of missing link between Schubert and Raff, with some of the former's "heavenly length" and some of the latter's harmonic and textural clarity.  Anyway, thank you to introducing me to him!  I'll be looking forward to future Chandos releases.

The 5th Symphony is a bit more brief, but of equally high quality.  Think Schubert's Unfinished (which is in the same key, BTW), but with Rufinatscha's distinct style (and finished, to boot).   The PC is a real find, and should be better known.

[Hovite]

We can look forward to stunning performances of the Sixth and the Bride of Messina Overture on CD if yesterday's concert recorded for radio is anything to go by.

I found the overture more instantly appealling, with the symphony harder to grasp, probably due to its length. There is no doubt in my mind (judging mostly from his overtures) that Rufinatscha deserves more attention.

[JimL]

I guarantee that by the 3rd listen you'll get the symphony.  Guaranteed.

[Alan Howe]

Jim's right. The Symphony takes a while to grasp - at getting on for an hour, that's hardly surprising. And Noseda doesn't take the repeat in the finale!! But the journey's thoroughly worthwhile.

After all, who else could have written this work? It's a clone of no other work and belongs to no particular school. It's fundamentally sui generis, like all other great music...

[eschiss1]

I don't know if I've "gotten" it yet but after a first listen to the BBC iPlayer archive (will try to hear it a couple more times before the 29th), my first encounter with his music beyond brief minute-long excerpts and what have... I like it!!... thank you all.

[albion]

Today brought a cheering flurry of thuds through the letter box: Boehe (two Odysseus discs) and Reznicek (two discs of symphonic poems) from CPO and the new Chandos Rufinatscha. What a thrill to see this last item finally released - the Tyrol performance is always going to be something special but it is really wonderful to have this music presented by a top-flight orchestra and conductor and given the 'Chandos' presentation (with all the international kudos that it entails). Hearing it after listening to the Tyrol disc is like encountering an old friend who you thought had fallen on slightly hard times, and suddenly seeing them dressed to the nines paying for a large round of drinks.

With the new series set to run to three discs, this should lift Rufinatscha at last from the slough of obscurity and put him firmly on the map. Many thanks to the various members of this forum for alerting me to his music! 

[Mark Thomas]

But most Kudos goes to Alan for convincing Chandos that they should put faith in Rufinatscha. You da man!

[eschiss1]

seconding (thirding? nthing?) Mark on that one. excellent - must make a point of catching it again before tomorrow. linked to the BBC page from my Facebook and etc. just because, too.

[Alan Howe]

Martin Anderson's review in the April issue of International Record Review is a typically thorough and appreciative piece of work. We need more people like Martin who are capable of assessing composers outside the mainstream without prejudice.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Absolutely, Alan. He has that rare knack of being able to both describe a piece of music and infect a reader with his own enthusiasm. Many times I have read him with increasing excitement whilst stretching out to grab the debit card. Recent articles in IRR about Gunter Raphael and Paul Graener have enriched my musical life. I'm currently trying to pester the editor of IRR to get Martin to offer us a similar article on Adolf Busch - more on the composer rather than the performer, for Busch's music deserves the widest dissemination. However since Toccata have published the magnificent Tully Potter book - the book of the decade in my view and given its scholarship easily worth every penny of its price - Martin may feel not wholly impartial.

Back to the point: yes, MA's review of Rufinatscha is a good one. Having just re-read it, I'm confident it will also arouse the interest of readers of IRR who have never discovered the UC site and thus are unaware of all the clamour made here about Rufinatscha. And the more there are expressing enthusiasm about him, the greater the chance of getting good recordings of the chamber music!

[Mark Thomas]

Quite. And didn't I spot a letter from one Peter Shott amongst this month's must-reads in IRR?

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Guilty. I'm trying every means (including this post!) to shame Decca into doing its bit for Braunfels in the UK. (And the USA for that matter). What kind of foolishness is it to have an apparently first class recording of an excellently performed important opera by a significant 20th century composer (and one whose work is wholly unblemished by mere noise and other gimcracks favoured by others less likely to stand the test of time) and then to restrict its availability to Germany? True, there's no reason why the recording can't be purchased from a source in Germany. But why should potential customers have to spend an additional amount - which then goes to postal services, taxes et al, and not to the people who produced the recording and the musicians involved? More important: I believe that if a record company takes on a work or a composer, and believes that the task is worth doing, then it should both promote and properly represent that work or composer. Just imagine the stink if Chandos decided to restrict its Rufinatscha series to the UK. A good number of people outside the UK might well then never get to know about him, let alone hear a note of his music - and that would be awful. Apologies for ranting on yet again!

[Gareth Vaughan]

I'm with you all the way, Peter.

[Alan Howe]

Rant on, Peter! Good on yer!

[Alan Howe]

The word spreads...

http://doctorhuw.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/johann-rufinatscha-1812-1893/