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Report on a performance of Raff's Symphony No.2


Among the novelties produced there have been no less than two symphonies by living composers, one by Raff, given at the second concert of the series, and another by Rubenstein, included in last Saturday's programme. Of Raff's work little need be said. The peculiarities of that extremely prolific composer - his fertile, if occasionally trivial, inventions, his command of various styles, his refined eclecticisms, and his consequent want of individuality - all this is observable in Raff's second symphony (op. 140), as it is in the one which has preceded and the eight which have followed it. In one respect, however, the work performed on Saturday is distinct from the majority of its author's symphonies. Raff it is generally known is a representative of so-called "programme " music - that is he likes to indicate the poetic ideas which inspire him as they do all other composers worthy of the name by means of words; and his symphonies, with the exception of two, have either a suggestive title or else they purport to render musically a poem, as is done, for instance, in his master piece, "Leonora," founded on Bürger's popular ballad of that name. The present work, as well as the fourth symphony in G minor, is, as we said before, without a poetic motto of this kind, and it cannot be said to suffer much from the want; it is, on the contrary, a favourable specimen of Raff's workmanship, full of charming melodies and by no means lacking in inspiration of a lyrical type. The first movement, consistently developed from a very simple germ, is especially worthy of praise.

The Times, 23 May 1881 p.13
Reproduced by kind permission of Times Newspapers
 

Report on a performance of Raff's Symphony No.6

The events at the Saturday Concerts since our last notice may be summed up in few words. The introduction at the last concert but one of one of Raff's symphonies not previously heard in England received additional interest from the gifted composer's recent death. The symphony in D minor, the sixth of the 10 works of the same class left by the prolific German composer, is one of his most successful efforts, being alike poetically significant and full of musical scholarship. The combination of these two qualities - not always found together - is, indeed, its chief characteristic. Raff, without supplying an elaborate "programme" for his music, has sufficiently indicated his meaning by the brief motto added to the score:-"Gelebt, Gestrebt, Gelitten, Gestritten, Gestorben, Umworben" ("Life, Effort, Suffering, Strife, Death, Triumph.") The career of most great men might be summed up in these words. In his opening movement allegro non troppo Raff endeavours to depict the events of an important and active life in manifold entanglements. There is, indeed, no end of "effort" in the grouping together of this large quantity of material, far exceeding that of an ordinary symphonic movement, and treated with an elaboration of contrapuntal device little short of marvellous. Whether the second portion of the motto, "Suffering, Strife," belongs more especially to the vivace (Scherzo and Trio) which ensues, it would be difficult to say, but there is no doubt that "Death" is the subject of the "Marcia funebre" which forms the third movement of the symphony, and after the solemn and impressive strains of which the final allegro ("Triumph") appears somewhat trivial and wanting in dignity. To sum up, Raff's symphony in D minor is not the work of a man of genius properly so-called, but it is undoubtedly that of one of the ablest musicians of our time.

The Times, 31 October 1882 p.3
Reproduced by kind permission of Times Newspapers