Symphony No. 3 (Raff)

Symphony No. 3 in F major Im Walde (In the Forest) was composed by Joachim Raff in Wiesbaden in 1869 and was premiered in 1870 in Weimar. Along with his Fifth Symphony, it was one of his most successful and frequently performed works during his lifetime and it earned him a reputation as a symphonist. An American critic named it "the best symphony of modern times" while Hans von Bülow described the symphony's success as "colossal".[1] It was published in 1871 by Kistner of Leipzig. A typical performance lasts for about 45 minutes.

As a Romantic, Raff was deeply inspired by nature. As such, six of his nine programme symphonies are related to nature.

Instrumentation

The symphony is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in F, 3 trombones, timpani, triangle and strings.

Structure

The symphony is structured in three parts and four movements:

  • Part I
    • I. Impressions and Feelings: Allegro
  • Part II
    • II. Dreaming: Largo
    • III. Dance of the Dryads: Allegro assai
  • Part III
    • At Night. Stillness of the night in the forest. Entry and departure of the wild hunt, with Lady Holle and Wotan. Day-break: Allegro

References

Notes
  1. ↑
Sources
  • Dearling, Robert (1999). Raff: Symphonies Nos 3 & 4 (PDF) (CD). Hyperion Records. CDH55017. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  • Fifield, Christopher (2016). The German Symphony between Beethoven and Brahms: The Fall and Rise of a Genre. Routledge. ISBN 9781317030393.
  • Goepp, Philip H. (1897). Symphonies And Their Meaning (Second Series). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company.
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