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Yet another of the ever-burgeoning roster of rediscovered Polish compositional talent makes his ‘world premiere recording’ appearance on a label dedicated to just such an act of reclamation.
Noskowski was born in Warsaw and trained as a violinist before coming within the orbit of that pioneering spirit, Moniuszko with whom the fledgling composer studied singing and counterpoint. Feeling however that he lacked polish he went to Berlin to study composition. Eventually he returned to Warsaw where he became Professor of Composition as well as a choral and symphonic conductor of repute. Heart disease gradually curtailed his career and he died in 1909.
The first volume of Acte Préalable’s series devoted to him takes in his solo piano music. This, as well as songs and violin music - chamber music in toto in fact - is a particularly useful feature of this label’s exploratory work. None of these works are dated though I would guess that they come from the 1890s. The Impressions are character studies of some imaginative sweep. The first is a wind study called Autumn, with lots of arpeggios and then comes a rather salonised middle section; hints of late Liszt here. The terse outer sections of the second study enclose a puckish and rhythmically vivacious B section, whilst No.3 is a charming salon Dumka.
Of the 3 Pièces Op.35 it’s best to refer the first to the first of the Op.29 Impressions which it somewhat resembles in mood. It’s a song without words really, not really a nature picture. In the Duma there are hints of Chopin but also an individualistic Ballad strength which grows increasingly ripe. Though it’s marked dolente the Valse is actually quite fulsome in this performance by Valentina Seferinova, a Bulgarian pianist now resident in Britain.
These short collections show idiomatic skill and some striking moments. There’s slightly too much hectoring amidst the melancholy of the first of the Op.36 Moments mélodiques and the Gondoliera is a very straight ride indeed - abandon hopes of Reynaldo Hahn and sensuality. Still the third of the set is touchingly done before Noskowski reaches for another seasonal piece - Spring this time - to end the cycle; and it’s duly perky and fresh.
Contes must have been written almost immediately after the earlier cycle and reprises things. There’s lyric ease, a salon Berceau, and a gift for lyricism and charm, if without overmuch depth. The last cycle here is the Op.44 Feuille de trèfle. The first is quite tough and Seferinova sounds a little stretched by its demands (Oh NO I wasn’t!! – V.S.). The third and last alternates between Schubertian influence and possibly a touch of Anton Rubinstein.
All these cycles are presented in chronological order, but there’s no great marked stylistic advance - which is not a criticism, merely an observation. The performances are enjoyable and the presentation and recording in the studio of Polish Radio Station S1 not too chilly.
Jonathan Woolf Musicweb-International.com
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"It is surprising that the Raff revival on disc has until now largely ignored his piano music, remembering that more than half his output was for the instrument. Now, however, we have a CD devoted to some of his most important piano works and a welcome arrival it is. New British label Cahoots and UK-based Bulgarian pianist Valentina Seferinova have chosen a programme which steers away from Raff's salon music and instead concentrates on his more "serious" side with the Fantasie-Sonate op.168 and the late second version of the Piano Sonata op.14. In rather more relaxed vein are the Trois Morceaux op.2 - another set whose early opus number belies the fact that they were written in 1876.
The fantasy side of op.168 is well brought out by Seferinova. She emphasises the improvisatory feel of the piece's start, presenting the opening Allegro patetico section almost as a series of musings on the motto theme which dominates the whole work. Her accuracy is ably demonstrated by the frantic figurations in which Raff indulges sporadically. The delicacy of the central Largo is a joy - there is something affectingly childlike in the simplicity of her treatment of these lovely variations, before the stormy concluding Allegro molto is ushered in by the last of them (a nice touch this by Raff). Perhaps Seferinova could have risked a more turbulent and Lisztian approach to this final section - one suspects that one should have been left with the impression of a "bigger" work than comes across here. Overall, though, this is an intelligent and poetic performance which grows on you with repeated listening. Her handling of the tempi in particular show what a good feel she has for the architecture of the whole three-section structure.
Sandwiched between the two sonatas are the Trois Morceaux. Lasting just over 12 minutes, they are not as portentous as the sonatas, but by no means mere salon music. The opening Elégie is a surprisingly lively and rather enigmatic piece which seems as if it is telling a story, unrevealed to us by Raff. Seferinova plays it beautifully, investing it with a tenderness and, at the last, a tangible sense of faint regret. The central Romance features one of those immediately attractive Raffian melodies which linger stubbornly in the memory. It has an engaging hesitancy which she carries over into the contrasting cantabile middle section so that it suffuses the whole piece. A delight. Once again, playing of immense charm and delicacy. The concluding Valse also begins uncertainly, but soon gets into its stride and here one is reminded of the many such works to which Raff turned his hand so effectively. There is more to it than there seems at first but even so Seferinova has it skip away seemingly without effort.
Coming after the rather skittish Valse, the austerity of the rewritten Piano Sonata is something of a shock. It is a rather more sombre and serious work than one is used to from the master and one wonders what would have followed had he lived. Its mood is set at the very beginning where the Allegro's principal theme is baldly stated and then elaborated in an almost baroque fashion. This seriousness is well conveyed by Seferinova and so her relaxing into the lyrical second subject is especially welcome. She makes light of the work's difficulties and the episodic sombreness and sometimes dense counterpoint are nicely contrasted with the more lyrical passages and intermittent silvery cascade of notes. A very satisfying interpretation of an atypical Raff movement.
The following Allegro molto is a relative disappointment. It would have benefited from a more hard driven approach to the fast outer sections and the rather spooky ending is somehow flat and doesn't leave one breathless with relief that the hectic ride is over. The movement's lyrical trio is a finely judged contrast, however.
In the Larghetto third movement, Seferinova shows that she understands that Raff slow movements aren't that slow. Although she revels in the long drawn out opening melody, she isn't afraid of piling on the drama in the central section and makes this (for Raff) uncharacteristically reserved slow movement a piece of stature and a worthy counterweight to the portentous opening Allegro.
The Allegro finale sees Raff in more familiar celebratory and open-hearted vein. A procession of generally joyful motifs are melded into successive passages full of joie de vivre. Raff cannot resist ample contrapuntal episodes and, of course, a fugue makes its expected appearance but there is nothing dry about it. Seferinova encompasses all this with an appropriate lightness of touch and brings this unusual work to a bright and emphatic end.
The recording itself can sound muddy at times, but the piano is well forward and a little judicious control twiddling will set matters straight. Matthias Wiegandt's liner notes are as impressive as we have come to expect from him and are especially helpful in discussing the Piano Sonata.
In sum, Valentina Seferinova demonstrates that she has Raff's measure. If she sometimes seems reluctant to pull out every last dramatic stop, she is undeniably impressive in the more lyrical passages and it is to be hoped that this issue is a success for Cahoots so that we can hear more Raff from her in the future. 
(out of 5)
Mark Thomas (of The Joachim Raff Society)
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"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 - conductor - www.musicweb.uk.net
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"This release introduces a new company and, I believe, the first recordings of three Raff piano works. Joachim Raff, who lived from 1822 to 1882, was one of the important Swiss composers of the 19th Century who faded into obscurity in the 20th Century but has recently begun to make a come-back. To learn more about Raff, see the Raff Society's web site at www.raff.org, which also has a complete listing of recordings and their reviews.
I must admit to being slightly put off by this recording at first, for there are very loud extraneous low-frequency noises that I concluded are the pedals being enthusiastically activated by Ms Seferinova. These are unfamiliar works, but she seems to have them in her grasp and really plays very well. The problem can be partly cured by cutting the bass response. Also, it is worst in the second sonata.
The Fantasy-Sonata was published as Op. 168 and is the second of three. It lasts about 17 minutes. The three movements may not have any truly memorable big themes but are very well written and full of exciting pianism.
The Sonata in E-flat may have been published as Op. 14 but he re-wrote it in 1881 and it became his last published piano work. It was almost completely re-written and little remains of the earlier work. It has four movements lasting some 32 minutes. It is technically adept and quite brilliant.
Much the same can be said for his three Morceaux, which were originally published as Op. 2 but were completely revised in 1877. They are pleasant morsels that require a refined piano technique.
Ms Seferinova has a grand technique and plays brilliantly. The recording is very wide range and well placed. The notes are excellent."
BAUMAN
Carl Bauman - American Record Guide - May/June 2003 issue Vol.66 No.3
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“Valentina Seferinova takes on a difficult task, making something exciting out of Joachim Raff's highly respectable but hardly compelling Fantasia-Sonata, Op.168, Grand Sonata Op.14, and Trois Morceaux, Op.2. She is a fluent pianist, and does a fine job, until the dreadful fugue that takes up most of the finale of Op.14. Like the listener, she seems to go on automatic pilot, coping with one academic entry of the theme after another - one of the reasons Raff, despite many attempts to resurrect his music, remains more a "name" than a living musical force.” www.recordsinternational.com
Paul Turok of Turok's Choice, NY, USA, Issue No. 147, September 2003
(comment by Valentina Seferinova - his opinion seems to be highly coloured by a dislike of Raff!!!)
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THE CRITICS EXTRA
A true international performer
"The first CD devoted to solo piano music by Joachim Raff is also the first from a company set up by former Portsmouth theatre administrator Gareth Vaughan.
But the CD is the fruit of a long period of work on the 19th-century Swiss composer by Valentina Seferinova.
The Bulgarian pianist is married to a Briton, and has lived at Cowplain since 1998, taking an active part in the region's musical scene. But the CD confirms that she remains a true international performer.
She commands an impressive range of tone colours, even if the sound of the instrument as recorded is a little variable in quality. More importantly, she gets inside Raff's world.
She catches both aspects inherent in the title of the Fantasie-Sonata in D minor, and makes delightful and sometimes deeper miniatures of the Trois Morceaux, turning a phrase beautifully.
She also supplies the clarity of texture, line and rhythm needed to make the Grand Sonata in E flat minor something much more than a heavy, intellectual exercise.
It is no use pretending the composer is a neglected master on the level of a Liszt, to whom he comes closest in sound and style, but equally this CD proves Raff's music is worth hearing.
Ms Seferinova will play some of it in a free lunchtime recital at Chichester Cathedral on February 18th. (2003)"
MIKE ALLEN
The News, Portsmouth, Friday January 10, 2003
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| Review which appeared in Rachmaninoff Society Newsletter July 2002 |
"Another new CD is available to members from a member. The disc features Bulgarian duo Va i Ve, otherwise member Valentina Seferinova and (‘i’) compatriot Venera Bojkova. It was very interesting to hear the CD, especially knowing the background. I enjoyed it all ...... From the way the performances flow, it is clear that very little editing was necessary, thus preserving the continuity of the playing and the sense of occasion that the performers were after. Overall, to borrow a term I have heard applied to a Brahms recording by Glenn Gould, it left me feeling I had heard two good friends playing music together for their own enjoyment (which I guess is true!) and that I had been privileged to eavesdrop on it. |
"Well - you would say that , wouldn't you!!" |