Recording Review #75: Raff the Repaying

Raff: Piano Suites Volume 2 (Nos. 2 and 4, Opp. 71 and 91). Hyelim Kim, pianist. Grand Piano GP958. 

I came to this recording thinking it would be a typical Joachim Raff venture: good but not great music I would enjoy in the moment and forget soon after. And...I was mostly right. But not entirely. Yeah, you get his usual mashups of Schumann, Liszt, and others. Maybe much or all of this stuff isn't going to be something I revisit super often. But there are some things in it that will stay with me. They well repaid the time I invested. 

These works are called "piano suites," which suggest series of miniatures. And that's what the Second Suite (Op. 71) is: modest character pieces that provide a breezy if undistinguished break from, say, Kinderszenen. But then you have the Fourth Suite (Op. 91), which gets a little more interesting. All of these numbers are longer than miniatures, some considerably so. The first is a Fantasia and Fugue, and the second is a Gigue with Variations...content you wouldn't normally expect to find in a simple suite. 

Which would be an interesting little anomaly all by itself. But then Raff saves some serious creative juice for his Op. 91. First, the fugue in the initial number shows masterful counterpoint. Personality aside, even great composers should be proud to write something so technically accomplished. This in a piano suite! Second, some of the material itself is compelling. The closing march, for instance, takes a fetching idea that, while stated and developed perhaps slightly excessively, is the basis for some genuinely rousing passages. I didn't expect this level of engagement when I first pressed play. 

So, will this repertoire replace Carnaval or the Songs Without Words in your affections? Maybe not. Will it add to your knowledge, appreciation, and pleasure? It definitely added to mine. The other positive is that you get to hear some fine pianism by Hyelim Kim, who gives these selections the sharp presentation they deserve. The whole thing takes fewer than 50 minutes to traverse. Go for it. 

Verdict: Recommended