From Mendelssohn to Brahms

The Joachim Raff Society, founded 50 years ago in Lachen SZ, the composer, arranger, conductor, music teacher and writer Joseph Joachim Raff's birthplace, celebrated his 200th birthday (27 May) not only with concerts, lectures and exhibitions, but also with various publications. Even before the society's commemorative publication, written by its president Res Marty, was available, it made it possible to publish the first complete recording of Raff's works for cello and piano. This demonstrates once again that the composer, who was once an internationally successful symphonist, was on the one hand an eclectic composer inspired by Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Schumann and Liszt, and on the other a visionary who looked ahead to Brahms.

Although the rapturous Duo op. 59, the Two fantasy pieces op. 86, which contain an original dialog of staccati and pizzicati, and which are also available in a version with horn that is enchantingly simple. Two romances op. 182 are still influenced by the New German School, they contain anticipations of the musical language of Brahms and younger composers. In the Sonata in D major op. 183, which is more classical than romantic, in the opening movement of which the string instrument is surrounded by stormy piano runs, the lively scherzo - an encore piece par excellence - is strongly reminiscent of Mendelssohn.

The Swiss cellist Christoph Croisé, who had already performed Raff's 1st Concerto in D minor op. 193 in Lachen at the age of eighteen, interprets these rarities in finely balanced interplay with the pianist Oxana Shevchenko, expressively and with captivating brilliance.