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Jamie   31/1/2002	Subject: Can you remember your first exposure to Raff? Message: I thought it would be interesting to hear of other people's first impressions of Raff. As for me, I first heard Raff's music back in 1971 or so, when my local classical radio station played Bernard Herrmann's wonderful recording of the "Lenore" symphony. I can distinctly remember the 3rd movement march, and thereby discovered Raff's memorable melodic gifts when I found that I wasn't able to get its main melody out of my head for days afterward. I quickly bought that LP as well as Richard Kapp's "Im Walde" (horribly cut in the last movement) coupled with the "Ode to Spring" and Michael Ponti's first piano concerto recording. I was definitely hooked after hearing those unforgettably beautiful works. Subsequently, l satisfied my voracious appetite for Raff's music (in the bad old days when recordings were few and far between) by reading the scores I found in the Library of Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in NYC, savoring them vicariously, and wondering if I'd ever hear any of them perfromed. Nowadays, I own most of those scores, as well as all of the available recordings. l would like to thank both Mark Thomas for maintaining this excellent site, the best on the internet devoted to a single composer, and Volker Tosta of Edition Nordstern for publishing these priceless treasures.
John Boyer   01/2/2002	RE: Can you remember your first exposure to Raff? Message: When I was in high school, I recall reading the album notes for Previn's first recording of the Rachmaninoff E-minor Symphony. The notes quoted a review of the symphony's 1908 Dresden premiere, in which the reviewer said something to the effect, "The new symphony was warmly received, but this is no guarantee that it will survive. After all, 50 years ago, audiences rapturously applauded Raff's 'Lenore', but where is that work today? Buried in the vast graveyard of forgotten compositions." Being the curious sort, I thought, "Who is Raff? What was 'Lenore'?" I did some research, which eventually led me to Herrmann's recording (where most of us started!). I remember listening to it on the radio late one night (around 1:00 in the morning), and finding the finale so creepy that the hair stood up on the back of my neck. And from that day, I've been a Raff fan.
Mark   05/2/2002	RE: Can you remember your first exposure to Raff? Message: Yes, Herrmann's "Lenore" is to blame for my 30-odd years of Raff mania, too! In my case I bought the LP whilst at university, having just discovered "classical" music. Loving Dvorak and Tchaikovsky I reasoned than anyone from the same era would be equally as enjoyable. I had no idea how "rare" Raff was, bought the newly issued LP and was hooked. I remember being very perplexed when I was unable to buy more Raff - though soon Kapp's cut "Im Walde" was available and Ponti's Piano Concerto. Genesis's much better Piano Concerto and the lovely Piano Suite op.91 rounded out my Raff LPs for several years until I started holidaying in Switzerland in the early 80s and found recordings of the four "Seasons" Symphonies, the Sinfonietta and the Piano Quintet and an LP of some of the virtuoso piano music.
Luis de Orueta   06/2/2002	RE: Can you remember your first exposure to Raff? Message: Same as others. In 1971, in Connecticut, I bought (why I dont know) Hermann´s Leonore, and ,after that, Kapps Im Walde and Ponti´s Piano Concerto. Later the Sonata by Ruiz and another version of the piano concerto by Cooper. Now I think I have almost all the recordings.I dont like the Schneider versions (I dislike the overbearing drum-beats in all of them). Would anyone offer to rate the available recordings with, say, 1,2,3 stars ? Luis de Orueta