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luis de orueta   16/1/2003	Subject: Are some CD brochures too critical on Raff´s music? Message: For instance: Matthias Weigandt in his notes to Opus 8 CD with the piano trios,after discarding much of his piano music as "automatic pilot" staff,he goes on to say : `When Raff succeds in achieving a balance between the idea and its elaboration his chamber music provides a "populistic approach" (in the best sense of the word)to the profoundly probing chamber music of Brahms and Felix Dreaseke." Well... I dont want to be mean, but how would Matthias like me to say that "Felix Dreaseke Symphonia Comica (not to mention his opera comica Fischer und Kalif) provide a comic approach (in the best sense of the word) to the profoundly symphonic music of Johannes Brahms and Franz Schmidt"? Another instance: George A.Eckle in his notes to Raffs violin + piano sonatas states that `At heart Raff is not a poetic spirit and therefore produces high level vacuum music´.`His music shriks poetry and is devoid of the visionary frame generated by the life, feeling and thinking of the romantic spirit´. Eckle, who must be a poet himself, believes that, in contrast, the music of Franz Liszt `could not exist without poetry´. Santa madonna... Speaking for myself, much as I admire the music of Franz Liszt, my admiration is in inverse proportion to the ammount of poetry he puts in it. Or is this beeing too critical with the critics? luis
Mark   18/1/2003	RE: Are some CD brochures too critical on Raff´s music? IP: Logged Message: Don't get me started! A quick word in Matthias Wiegandt's defence - I know of no one except Volker Tosta who is more tireless than Matthias in his promotion of, and enthusiasm for, Raff's music. It is for him to defend himself, but my understanding of his point in the Piano Trios notes is that Raff manages to pull off the trick of writing music which is technically on a plane with Brahms (forget Draeseke for now, please) whilst making it accessible to the average concert goer. I agree with Matthias and think it one of Raff's great achievements - an achievement which of course was frowned upon by contemporary critics and composers for two reasons. Firstly, they didn't want the hoi polloi "understanding" the music straight away and secondly because writing "tunes" which were easily assimilated was hardly what they wanted from high art. Mahler did the same in his symphonies and it took 50 or so years before it was understood. I found George A.Eckle's notes very interesting and quite thought provoking, though I disagreed with them. I think it does no harm to at least recognise in sleeve notes that some of the criticism of Raff was justified - better that than mindless adulation which is easily derided. On the web site I hope that I make no secret of the fact that I feel that Raff did have some weaknesses - but that they aren't such big flaws as to deny him the place in the musical pantheon which is rightfully his. I've recently seen the liner notes which pianist Eric Le Van has written for the forthcoming Tudor CD on which he and Michaela Paetsch Neftel play the 10 Sonatillen and the Six Morceaux. I think that you'll find his erudite and very well argued advocacy of Raff's music more to your taste. I'll post the notes on the web site in the February 20 update, but for now here's a snippet: " Yet at his best - and it is only fair to judge an artist on those works which reveal him in his most positive light - Raff produced music of striking beauty. In turn colorful, full of wit, elegant and noble, with moments of rapturous melancholy and passionate lyricism, it is essentially the music of a singularly poignant sensuousness. Indeed, Raff strives to attain sensuous beauty in and of itself with the same dogged conviction that compels Brahms to reach for the sublime. He could only but acquiesce in Mozart's opinion that « music, even in the most terrible situations, must never offend the ear, but must please the listener, or in other words must never cease to be music ». To him, as with Mozart, the cultivation of beauty for its own sake was a first-rate value." Cheers,
luis de orueta   20/1/2003	RE: Are some CD brochures too critical on Raff´s music? IP: Logged Message: Sorry, I didn´t know about Matthias Weigandt support of Raff´s music. I shouldn´t have said anything. And I see your point about Raff´s weaknesses. But, Mark, doesn´t it happen to you that what once you felt were weak points with time become more acceptable in view of their,let´s say, "added value"? One often beguins to like the music of composers like Sibelius, Mahler or Richard Strauss for their apparent strong points and ends up enjoying even more their weaknesses... Thank you for the excerpt of Eric le Van. He is not apologetic about liking what he obviously likes. And I find that his invocation of Mozart´s aesthetics is very valid for quite the same reason that he mentions. Vale. Luis
John Boyer   20/1/2003	RE: Are some CD brochures too critical on Raff´s music? IP: Logged Message: I think it better that the CD notes offer some criticism instead of unmitigated praise. I've read the notes to releases of other minor composers that praise the music all out of proportion to its true merit. This has been especially true of recordings of Draeseke, where time and again the annotators treat each of his works as a forgotten masterpiece. Indeed, as Luis noted, the line citing "the profoundly probing chamber music of Brahms and Felix Draeseke" suggests a position for Draeseke in the musical Pantheon that is entirely undeserved. We should accept that Raff isn't on the same level of Brahms or Dvorak. Consequently, his batting average is going to be lower and he's going to produce a higher percentage of dogs than a great composer. By praising the dogs (for me, 1st & 6th Symphonies, 1st Violin Sonata), we weaken the value of his genuinely 1st rate works that deserve a place on the modern concert stage (say, 2nd, 5th, & 9th Symphonies, Piano Concerto, 2nd and 3rd Piano Trios). Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water, but at the same time, let us praise the baby and not the bath water.
Mark   24/1/2003	RE: Are some CD brochures too critical on Raff´s music? IP: Logged Message: A great phrase John! But now I have to apologise to Luis. Having mildly disagreed with his stance I must report that I have just received the second volume of cpo's survey of the Violin/Piano music and the carping and "damning with faint praises" style of George A.Eckle has irritated me greatly. Perhaps I was reading the liner notes with Luis' criticisms in mind but they are shot through with jabs at Raff's alleged lack of poetic feeling, his willingness to work within rather than beyond traditional forms and so on. It seems much more noticeable in this second issue. I assume that he will be used by cpo for the remainder of this five CD series. On a brighter note the music is great. I have only so far listened to the Violin Sonata No.2 but it is a much more immediately appealing work than No.1 - less tough and in the same happy world as the 2nd. and 3rd. Piano Trios for example.