By Souptrombone
10-Jul-2011

Raff Piano Concerto  

Raff lived for 60 years, in the middle part of the nineteenth century and was one of the most popular composers, at the time. When he died, however, his popularity went into a steep decline and soon he was all but forgotten. I think that this is a great shame, as while his music can sometimes be banal, it is often very attractive. The piano concerto is a generally very attractive piece, with some memorable tunes. If it is a little disjointed in one or two places and on occasions a little heavy handed, these did not spoil my overall enjoyment. The performance is generally good, with some sensitive playing, though some of the tempi are rather on the slow side. His fifth symphony, the Lenore, is also well worth listening too.
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