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John Boyer   30/4/2004	Subject: String Quartet #1 Message: Considering the competition, this is one of the best quartets to emerge from the 1850s. Brahms had yet to write his, while Mendelssohn's and Schumann's were ten years in the past. And unlike much of Raff's output, the quality is consistent from movement to movement. The First Quartet is one of those rare Raff works that can be introduced to anyone without apology. No need to say, "The slow movement is a bit sugary, but..." or "The scherzo rambles, but..." Without being told, one probably would not recognize this as a work by Raff. Indeed, if someone were to say it's an early work of Bruckner, he might just be believed. Pity no ensembles have considered it, yet one must remember that even by Raff standards it's rather obscure.
Mark   01/5/2004	RE: String Quartet #1 IP: Logged Message: Hurrah! I'm no longer alone... I have been beating my modest drum for this wonderful piece for years - but the only Raff quartet that seems to get an airing is the mundanely bourgeois No.7 "Die schöne Müllerin". No.1 is a truly romantic work - I'm reminded of a Bronté novel. There's the brooding first movement, a sunny scherzo and a deeply passionate and disturbingly dark slow movement, all capped with a finale which has a rather manic edge to its gaiety. I'm am told, but cannot say for myself, that No.2 is even more remarkable. The String Quartet No.1 (coupled with the inevitable No.7) has been available for a few years now in a very fine recording from Tudor - (Tudor 7079). Treat yourselves! Cheers,