Customer Reviews

Joachim Raff: Piano Trios 1 & 4

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Joachim Raff is perhaps the best composer of music that is almost never performed. During his lifetime, Raff was considered to be the equal of Brahms and Wagner, but after his death in 1882, his music unfortunately fell into a neglect which has lasted until only recently. Bernard Herrmann's pioneering recording of Raff's 5th symphony ("Lenore") in 1970 is probably responsible for initiating the Raff renaissance (or resurrection). Raff composed works in every form, including 11 symphonies (the last 4 inspired by the seasons), 5 concertos, much chamber/choral/piano music and 6 operas. These 2 trios are very representative of his mature style, being chock full of memorable melodies, innovative harmony and structure, as well as dazzling displays of counterpoint. The players that comprise Trio Opus 8 are clearly in love with this music, giving their all in committed, note-perfect, passionate, and sonically flawless performances. Among his many skills, Raff possessed the uncanny ability to create beautifully haunting and memorable melodies. The most unforgettable melody of all is that of the slow movement of trio #4, which opens with a plaintive barcarolle for the cello in the melancholy key of f sharp minor. The cellist plays with such passion and warmth that it will take your breath away. I can't recommend this recording enough. I guarantee you'll be astonished that such beautiful music has remained unknown for over 100 years.

As a lifelong classical music fanatic, I thought I had heard the best that 19th century music had to offer.
I WAS WRONG.
I am therefore about to make the boldest musical statement of my life, and it goes like this: As a composer, Joseph Joachim Raff is not only equal to, but in many ways more compelling than either Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, and yes, even my beloved Brahms.
Just look at the bold, sweeping melodies, dripping with a lyric romanticism that borders on the erotic. As much as I admire the aforementioned great composers, I rarely find myself in tears listening to their works as I do with the music of Raff.
The 2 piano trios on this recording are exceptional, and the performances are strong. I've never heard of the Opus 8 trio before, but their passion for the music really shines through. I'm glad, because these trios demand that kind of passionate commitment in order to come off convincingly
As good as these trios are, PLEASE do not deprive yourself of Raff's 1st and 5th symphonies. His true genius will be revealed unto you only after hearing these masterpieces. The trios alone will not do it.
Good luck in your journey to know one of the most extreme cases of neglected genius in history, Joseph Joachim Raff.
Enjoy.

I happened upon this composer quite by accident, and I now wonder why he is never played. These piano trios are completely wonderful and unlike anything I've heard before. The rythms are quite incredible and I challenge anyone to listen to them without feeling drawn into their swirling mystique.

I agree with the previous reviewers that Raff's obscurity is undeserved. His D Major Trio is a masterpiece that equals anything similar written in the genre, and the first movement stands out especially for its beauty and inspired composition. That this work is not known to more listeners, and seldom if ever performed, is music's loss. Raff at his best stands with the greats of his generation -- above many of them, frankly -- and this is one of his best works. The first trio is less interesting, but certainly pleasant. Those who like this CD may want to invest in CPO's companion disc of the second and third trios. The latter is almost the equal of the fourth.

This is all essentially excellent music although I am a bit put off by the variation of dynamic in the first movement of the C minor trio. The movement is highly charged, obsessive minor key music; but the constrasting, gentle passages seem too contrastive as though the composer were momentarily unsure of his dominant mood. This problem could be owing to the performers who have chosen too low a dynamic level or tension level for these passages. I get the sensation that I am viewing the music through frosted glass from time to time. The problem disappears completely in the lush, slow third movement and the finale where everything makes perfect sense. As for the first movement, the recording notes deal explicitly with what is puzzling me. The cantabile second subject appears too casually: "This latter theme comes about so incidentally that listeners may well ask whether they are dealing with a mere secondary episode." There is an offhand manner in these passages that I find puzzling in an otherwise powerfully emphatic context.

These remarks have no bearing on the sturdy, thoroughly engaging fourth movement or the fluent D major trio. It seems impossible that Raff has not been put in the same class with Schumann and Brahms. From what the recording notes state, he hurt himself by putting some of his works on "autopilot," drifting off into mediocre work in the same way that the cantabile passages of the first movement seem to drift for a while. Unevenness, however, cannot explain how this composer's top works have been neglected. The notes suggest that his reputation was somehow plowed under by the popularity of Wagner and Brahms. But frankly some of Raff is better than some of Wagner and Brahms. As I write this response, I can't tear myself away from the persuasive spell cast by the fluent first movement of the D major trio. As the notes state, this movement "engenders its own special delight."

Joachim Raff may be a B-level composer, but he was certainly a first-rate craftsman and although the themes aren't quite on the level of, say, Brahms, who can complain when they are so brilliantly presented and developed as they are in these two piano trios? These are infectious works, ebullient and catchy, superbly written for the instruments and full of atmosphere and character - and not without touches of originality. The first trio, from 1861, may actually be his strongest work in the genre. It opens with a dark theme that works itself into a stormy, emotionally charged allegro, impressively sustained and developed. The following demonical, capricious and haunting scherzo develops effortlessly out of the first movement material, and is followed by a beautiful, touching and stirring andante (with some truly strong thematic material) before launching a harrowing finale of almost Beethoven-like stature.

The fourth trio is only slightly less memorable; the driven, quirky first movement is rhythmically complex and rather striking; it is followed by another brilliant scherzo (surely Raff had a knack for these) and a remarkably beautiful and powerful Andante quasi larghetto - perhaps the best movement on the disc. The quality of the slow movement is perhaps the finale's worst enemy, for the finale sounds by contrast a little flat (surely it is not on the level of the fabulous finale of the first trio). Overall, however, this is another near-masterpiece which deserves more than occasional occurrence in the concert hall and surely more than the neglect it has experienced thus far.

The Trio Opus 8 plays with utter commitment, conjuring all the energy, color and momentum one could possibly ask for. Indeed, I can hardly imagine better advocacy for these very rewarding works. CPO provides them with an overall splendid recorded sound; round and full if just a little bit close. In short, this is a superb release deserving to be heard by anyone with a passing interest in high-romantic chamber music. Its companion disc containing the second and third trio is of course eminently worth having as well, but this is surely the one to start with.