Joseph Joachim Raff

Maria Stuart op. 172 und 8 Gesänge op. 173

Although the song genre seems to play a rather minor role in Joachim Raff’s body of work, his oeuvre contains true gems of the art of the song—works that even Ludwig and Malwina Schnorr von Carolsfeld—the first performers of Wagner’s *Tristan und Isolde*—raved about. Raff expert Simon Kannenberg has newly edited two outstanding song collections from Raff’s middle creative period for this anthology. Fascinated by the historical Mary, Queen of Scots, Raff chose for his Opus 172 of the same name a collection of translations by Gisbert von Vincke—the same source that had already inspired Robert Schumann’s Opus 135— thereby creating a cycle of poignant and personal reflections leading up to the tragic end of the Scottish queen. The second half of the Eight Songs, Op. 173, which was composed during the same period (1868–1871/1872), while the first half—based primarily on poems by Thomas Moore in Vinck’s translation—echoes the Romantics’ enthusiasm for England and Scotland. The song "Sei still," in particular, "had a profound effect, especially at church concerts and funerals, due to its religious intimacy." The songs are composed for different voice ranges and are suitable for both classroom instruction and artistic performance.

Binding: Paperback, thread-sewn