This disc marks the beginning of a new series, dedicated to the\nengaging, albeit neglected, orchestral works of the German-Swiss\ncomposer Joachim Raff. The survey starts with Symphony No. 2 and\nthe orchestral preludes to four plays by Shakespeare: The Tempest,\nMacbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello, all idiomatically performed\nby the Orchestre de la Suisse romande, conducted by its new\nArtistic and Music Director, Neeme Järvi.

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Well crafted, with brilliant orchestration and strong melodies,\nthe works of Raff were very highly regarded during his lifetime. In\nfact, he was one of the most widely performed and influential\nmusicians of his day – some even ranked him with Wagner and Brahms.\nA highly prolific composer of close to 300 works, he wrote\nextensively in virtually all forms. Soon after his death, however,\nhis reputation began its descent and his music came to languish in\nrelative obscurity; today his works are largely forgotten.

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Composed in 1866, Symphony No. 2 opens with an extended lyrical\nAllegro. The second movement, Andante con moto, is a wonderfully\nevocative piece of almost religious intensity. The scherzo, marked\nAllegro vivace, is the first example in his symphonic œuvre of the\ndebt which Raff owed to Mendelssohn in this type of movement, and\nthe finale, beginning Andante maestoso, then taking off Allegro con\nspirito, makes a grandiose conclusion.

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Thirteen years and close to 150 works separate Symphony No. 2\nfrom the orchestral preludes that Raff composed to four of\nShakespeare’s plays. Although not programmatic in any real sense,\nthese overtures are still highly effective in evoking the\natmosphere of Shakespeare’s noted creations: In The Tempest, Raff\nconjures music of great dramatic contrast, while in Macbeth he\nevokes a truly dark and menacing sound world, portraying the three\nwitches with particular effectiveness. The tender love theme of\nRomeo and Juliet perfectly complements the powerful depiction of\njealousy in Othello.

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