Raff: Symphony No. 5 "Lenore" & Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott

Featuring

Urs Schneider
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra
Joseph Joachim Raff

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Compositional Technique

Raff's Symphony No. 5 is divided into three 'Abteilung' (sections) which do not align with the traditional four movements, with two movements forming the first section, 'Liebesglück' (the happiness of love).

Composer Biography

Raff worked as secretary, copyist, and factotum for Franz Liszt, the renowned composer and pianist, in Weimar, and likely assisted with the orchestration of Liszt's orchestral compositions.

Performer Biography

Urs Schneider, the conductor, founded his own orchestra at the age of 15 and studied conducting with renowned figures like Rafael Kubelík, Igor Markevitch, and Otto Klemperer.

Composer Biography

Joachim Raff, the composer, was born in Lachen, near Zürich, in 1822, after his father fled Württemberg to avoid conscription into the French army.

Composition History

Raff's Symphony No. 5, 'Lenore', is based on Gottfried August Bürger's poem 'Lenore', which tells the story of Lenore's grief for her lover killed in the Seven Years' War.

Performer Biography

The Slovak State Philharmonic, established in 1968, has made over 130 commercial recordings, including rare repertoire and complete works of Johann and Josef Strauss for Naxos and Marco Polo.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Joachim Raff's symphonies often include an overtly programmatic element, aligning him with the 'neo-German school' of composers like Wagner and Liszt.