Raff probably benefited from his own innate sense of
single-mindedness as a composer and as a result managed during his life
to steer a middle path through the Brahms or Wagner camps. More than
half his 216 published works were written for piano, while some of the
symphonies (Im Walde and Lenore in particular) are well
worth an airing and appear on more adventurous CD labels if not yet
in concert programmes. This enterprising CD by the Bulgarian pianist
Valentina Seferinova, now UK based, provides an interesting insight
into some of the piano pieces. Because Raff’s career dipped somewhat
in the middle of his life in terms of his relationship with his publisher
Breitkopf und Härtel, he revisited some of his early works towards
the end of his life and reworked them; hence the date of 1877 against
his Op.2 which actually appeared first in 1842. His first 46 works were
piano pieces written between 1842 and 1849. During this time he received
Mendelssohn’s invaluable endorsement to give him an entrée to
the publishers. The three pieces Op.2 consist of a charming Romance
framed by a ruminative Elégie and a Chopin-like Waltz. Likewise
the Grand Sonata in E flat minor is the second version of a far earlier
work belying the fact that it was his last piece for the piano, written
when he was Director of the Frankfurt Music Conservatoire. Both works
are recorded here for the first time. The Fantasie-Sonata in D minor
was dedicated to Saint-Saëns in 1872 (perhaps a peace offering
after the recently concluded Franco-Prussian war) and is a through-composed
work despite its division into movements. Despite some unhelpful dryness
in the recording studio, Valentina Seferinova makes a strong case for
this largely forgotten repertoire, plays it with stylish finesse and
clearly enjoys the music. The Larghetto of the Grand Sonata made a strong
impression, beautifully paced and sensitively breathed in its subtle
shapes, while the fugal Finale has impeccable clarity. Never a dull
moment, one hopes that she and other pianists will delve further into
this composer’s music if this sample is anything to go by.
Christopher Fifield
Valentina Seferinova (piano