Jarvi, Suisse Romande - Raff: Symphony No 2, Four Shakespeare Preludes (2013)

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Jarvi, Suisse Romande - Raff: Symphony No 2, Four Shakespeare Preludes (2013)

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This disc marks the beginning of a new series, dedicated to the engaging, albeit neglected, orchestral works of the German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff. The survey starts with Symphony No. 2 and the orchestral preludes to four plays by Shakespeare: The Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello, all idiomatically performed by the Orchestre de la Suisse romande, conducted by its new Artistic and Music Director, Neeme Järvi.

Well crafted, with brilliant orchestration and strong melodies, the works of Raff were very highly regarded during his lifetime. In fact, he was one of the most widely performed and influential musicians of his day – some even ranked him with Wagner and Brahms. A highly prolific composer of close to 300 works, he wrote extensively in virtually all forms. Soon after his death, however, his reputation began its descent and his music came to languish in relative obscurity; today his works are largely forgotten.

Composed in 1866, Symphony No. 2 opens with an extended lyrical Allegro. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a wonderfully evocative piece of almost religious intensity. The scherzo, marked Allegro vivace, is the first example in his symphonic œuvre of the debt which Raff owed to Mendelssohn in this type of movement, and the finale, beginning Andante maestoso, then taking off Allegro con spirito, makes a grandiose conclusion.

Thirteen years and close to 150 works separate Symphony No. 2 from the orchestral preludes that Raff composed to four of Shakespeare’s plays. Although not programmatic in any real sense, these overtures are still highly effective in evoking the atmosphere of Shakespeare’s noted creations: In The Tempest, Raff conjures music of great dramatic contrast, while in Macbeth he evokes a truly dark and menacing sound world, portraying the three witches with particular effectiveness. The tender love theme of Romeo and Juliet perfectly complements the powerful depiction of jealousy in Othello.

Composer: Joachim Raff
Conductor: Neeme Järvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: Suisse Romande Orchestra

Reviews: Joachim Raff was a popular and prolific 19th-century composer. His Symphony No. 2 is his opus 140! Raff composed 11 well-crafted symphonies that sound remarkably similar despite their numerous nature-oriented subtitles suggesting a wider variety in tone. All of this music would seem to be in Neeme Järvi’s wheelhouse. He is rarely competitive in frequently recorded and played music, but with B-list composers where there is little or no recorded competition, Järvi has been very useful in providing technically competent recordings that expand the catalog.

Raff’s Second Symphony begins with a striking theme that is immediately reminiscent of the Rhine motif from the Ring . It is lightened texturally to the point where it fits well into the four similar movements with little drama, dissonance, or controversy. One of Raff’s strengths is his consistently effective use of a standard mid 19th-century orchestra. Järvi’s penchant for fast tempos serves him well here in that he never lets the music get bogged down in formal note spinning, but he doesn’t overdrive it either.

The Four Shakespeare Preludes were all written in 1879 (13 years and nearly 150 works after the Second Symphony), but do not necessarily appear to have been intended to be played together. That is a good thing, because playing all four of these preludes at the same time would stretch the patience of even the most devoted Raffian! I personally enjoy well-orchestrated romantic music, but these works may be more effective than ambien for insomniacs. Much is made in the program notes of how The Tempest and Macbeth “follow the dramatic structure of the plays,” while Romeo and Juliet and Othello “tend to encapsulate the plays’ general dramatic situations.” I am not sure about that, but one would reasonably expect The Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello to have some very different and highly dramatic music, especially in 1879 at the height of the Romantic age. However, the four works sound remarkably similar to each other and even to the Second Symphony except for their slightly more terse and episodic structure. Any melodic material is ho-hum, to say the least. Raff does get a little crazy when he introduces a snare drum in Macbeth . Järvi’s interpretations sound fine, as far as I can tell in the absence of any significant competition.

Chandos’s SACD sound serves the music well with sweet instrumental texture, good orchestral balance, and no trace of digital harshness or objectionable spotlighting of individual instruments. If you would enjoy a collection of pleasant but minor romantic music, don’t hesitate to acquire this well-executed recording