Raphael: Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16 ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna & Fabian Enders

• Günter Raphael (1903 - 1960): Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16:
• 1 Raphael: Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16: I. Sehr bewegt 20:59
• 2 Raphael: Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16: II. Langsam - III. Äußerst schnell 21:42
• 3 Raphael: Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16: IV. Langsam - lebhaft 23:15
• Total Runtime 01:05:56

Info for Raphael: Symphony No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 16

Günter Raphael’s first symphony combines late-romantic opulence with the musical language of a new era: polyphony and deconstructivist principles meet sumptuous splendour of sound.

Conductor Fabian Enders speaks of a work that explores new paths, ‘paths of a radical rationalism that knows how to make use of grand gestures, but does not serve them.’

Conductor Fabian Enders has taken on the rediscovery of Raphael’s symphonic debut on the podium of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra – an opportunity to discover a long overlooked masterpiece!

He is ‘one of the best talents of the younger German generation’, from whom ‘undoubtedly much good’ can still be expected – with these words, no less a personage than Wilhelm Furtwängler championed the composer Günter Raphael (1903–1960) in 1936 – ten years earlier, on 14 October 1926, he had premiered his First Symphony in A minor op. 16 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus to great acclaim.

Furtwängler was not the only one to be impressed by the talent of the young composer, who had already completed his studies at the Berlin Academy of Music at the time. On the recommendation of the then Thomaskantor Karl Straube, Raphael was appointed as a lecturer at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music in 1926, and Straube also introduced him to important performers and the Leipzig music publishers Peters and Breitkopf & Härtel.

Raphael’s life changed dramatically when the National Socialists came to power. Due to his father’s Jewish ancestry, he was categorised as a ‘half-Jew’ in 1934 and lost his teaching position in Leipzig; in 1939, he was completely banned from working and performing; his works were no longer published and were boycotted. Despite all adversity, Raphael continued to compose. In 1940, Raphael was diagnosed with tuberculosis – a stroke of luck: thanks to responsible doctors, the deportation of the seriously ill composer was prevented.

After 1945, the composer was able to regain a foothold in musical life; from 1949, Raphael taught at the Duisburg Municipal Conservatory; in 1957, he was appointed professor at the Cologne University of Music.

ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Fabian Enders, conductor

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