Trois Morceaux op.2 1:52
At the end of his career Raff completely rewrote several of his early piano works which had been first published in the early 1840s. Amongst them was this set of three charming pieces. Replacing the two Préludes and final Valse Capricieuse of the original 1842 op.2 (itself entitled Trois Pièces caractéristiques) are an slow Elegie of almost narrative-like quality, a Romance which, with its hesitancy and typically Raffian melody, is charm personified and a rather flippant and skittish fast Valse. Dating from June and July 1876, the set was one of the last works written by Raff in Wiesbaden before he left for Frankfurt to take up the job of setting up the Hoch Conservatory there.
The excerpt is the end of the Romance. From Cahoots 001.
This work is discussed in much more detail in the Works in detail section, with audio extracts from all three pieces.
Douze Romances en Forme d'Études op.8 4:24
Amongst the earliest of Raff's compositions were these 12 charmingly naive works, written in 1843 when he was working as a school teacher in Rapperswil. They were amongst the pieces which the 21 year old sent to Mendelssohn at the encouragement of his friends the Curti brothers. Mendelssohn thought highly enough of them to recommend them to his publishers Breitkopf and Härtel, who duly produced Raff's op.8 and several other piano works in 1845. In gratitude he dedicated this set to Mendelssohn. Each piece boasts a suitably romantic Italian name: L'Abbandonata, Il Fuggitivo, Il Delirio and I Gladiatori for example. They all show that Raff''s gift for expressive melody was already present even at that earliest stage in his career.
The excerpt is No.1 L'Abbandonata.
This work is discussed in much more detail in the Works in detail section, with audio extracts from all twelve pieces.
Album Lyrique op.17 1:38
In September 1849 Raff completely rewrote his Album Lyrique op.17 of only four years before. In the words of the new edition's title page the nine pieces (in five volumes) were "entièrement transformée par l'Auteur". The original publishers, Schubeth of Leipzig, were his employers in 1849 but they waited until the late 1870s to produce the new edition. The Ballade is the fifth of the works and is a romantic outpouring which opens with a prancing Schumannesque theme also used by Raff to close the piece, sandwiching a more dramatic central section.
The excerpt is the restatement of the opening theme and the central section of the work.
Two Rhapsodies Élégiaques op.22 1:53
These two extended piano rhapsodies, which Raff composed in Cologne in 1846, represent the two main musical influences on Raff at that time. No.1 is full of openhearted Lisztian drama, whereas the pensive and calm No.2 seems to bear the stamp of Schumann. Nevertheless, both are clearly from the same pen and demonstrate Raff's growing confidence in his own piano style, whilst betraying none of the easy grace and charm of his later Wiesbaden "parlour" piano pieces. Op.22 appeared in several editions, the earliest of which was by Mechetti in 1846.
The extract is the central climax of No.1 in B, leading to the reprise of the opening material.
Three Dance-Caprices op.54 1:50
Raff's op.54 was written whilst he was living in Weimar in 1852. Each of the three pieces (No.2 is a Mazurka and No.3 a Polka) betray the influence of Chopin in their harmonic language and the melodic turn of phrase. Although clearly derivative and showing that Raff had yet to find his own voice, this wistful, gently regretful waltz is elegantly written and once again illustrates Raff's melodic expertise.
The excerpt is the second half of No.1, the Waltz in A flat.
This work is discussed in much more detail in the Works in detail section, with audio extracts from all three pieces.
Schweizerwiesen op.60 - no.8 in A flat 1:58
To celebrate the country of his youth, Raff wrote this set of "Swiss Airs" in 1851 whilst acting as general factotum to Liszt in Weimar. The eighth of the nine works in the collection is a set of variations on a traditional Swiss melody which is simply stated at the start of the piece. As the music develops, Raff makes increasing demands on the pianist's technique whilst retaining the deceptively "simple" nature of the original melody.
This excerpt is from the middle of No.8. From Ex Libris EL 16 958.
This haunting piece in F sharp minor was written by Raff in April 1855, towards the end of his time in Liszt's circle in Weimar. At six minutes it is rather more substantial than many of his free-standing small-scale piano pieces and shows signs of Raff having successfully absorbed elements of Chopin's and Liszt's styles into his own. Throughout this delightful piece there is an air of the regret-filled backward glance, which is emphasised in the closing bars as the melancholy seems to descend into a stronger and more violent emotion. It had its premiere in 1857 and was published in the same year by the Leipzig company of Leuckart.
The excerpt is the middle of the work. From RILP 30-025.
Three Piano Solos op.74 2:02
Despite their opus number, this set was actually written in 1852, the same year as the Chopinesque Dance Caprices, and yet they are amongst the most Lisztian of Raff's creations. Each piece in the set is written on a large scale and together they last 25 minutes. A ruminative lyrical Ballade and a particularly frenetic Scherzo precede the Metamorphosen. This last piece was premiered by Raff's friend Hans von Bülow in 1859 just after the set's publication. It is more individual than its companions, comprising evolving variations on a simple seven note theme which Raff develops organically as the work progresses.
The extract is the closing pages of No.3, the Metamorphosen.
This work is discussed in much more detail in the Works in detail section, with audio extracts from all three pieces.
Suite de Morceaux pour petites mains op.75 1:37
This suite of "pieces for small hands", of 1858 and 1859, was one of Raff's most popular sets of compositions for home performance. Not only does it have a French title, but each of the 12 pieces also have titles in the same language and each is dedicated to a different Mademoiselle - his piano pupils in Wiesbaden. The most well known of the pieces, Fabliau, comes second and is of Raff's typical ABA construction which he often adopted for such works. It begins and ends with a very attractive dancing theme and features a contrasting central part with a slower tempo.
The extract is the first half of No.2, Fabliau in G.
Cachoucha-Caprice in C op.79 1:38
This catchy piece is typical of Raff's brotarbeit - piano works he produced for a quick sale to eager publishers. Its appeal is immediate, but the piano part is hardly easy and the craftsmanship in the writing is clear even if there is little profundity to the work - nor was any intended. This caprice was written in 1858 shortly after Raff's move from Weimar to Wiesbaden.
This example is from the middle of the work. From Ex Libris EL 16 958.
Dans la Nacelle - Rêverie-Barcarolle in B op.93 1:55
The second of a series of four piano works opp.92-95 written in Wiesbaden in 1860-1, this is another of Raff's fiendishly difficult occasional pieces. The Andantino barcarole is an atmospheric evocation of a trip in a small boat. The continuous figuration (dappled sunlight on the water?) which is a feature of the work is briefly interrupted by a dramatic climax (storm?) before calm is restored and the arch-like structure returns to the tranquility of the opening.
This excerpt is from the central climax to the music's end. From Ex Libris EL 16 958.