Originally poorly recorded

Joachim Raff (1822-1882) left behind several works for cello and piano: two Romances op. 182, the Fantasy Pieces op. 86 and the Duo op. 59. The most extensive work, however, is his four-movement Cello Sonata in D major op. 183. There is hardly any reliable information about its genesis. It was premiered in December 1873 at a novelty concert at the Berlin Singakademie and published by C. F. W. Siegel. The reviews were predominantly critical. Expectations were apparently too high after the triumphant Berlin premiere of Raff's 5th Symphony Lenore on October 29 of the same year.

However, the critics' verdict at the time does not do the piece justice. It is an entertaining, brilliantly virtuosic work: the cello and piano are equal partners and the performers are required to demonstrate a great deal of technical skill. So one thing will certainly never be neglected in performances: the pleasure of playing! The sonata is perhaps more "striking" in character than the sonatas by Felix Mendelssohn, for example. The catchy tonal language of the four movements is very pictorial, so that one is occasionally reminded of Raff's symphonic works with extra-musical program references.

The 200th anniversary of the composer's birth in 2022 gave rise to numerous performances and new editions. Raff's cello sonata has now also been published in a critical Urtext edition by Breitkopf & Härtel in collaboration with the Joachim Raff Archive in Lachen.

Joachim Raff: Sonata for piano and violoncello op. 183, edited by Claus Kanngiesser, EB 9406, € 28.50, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden