Long before Raff's Symphony No. 1, "An das Vaterland," has run its 67-minute course, even the most dedicated listener will reach for the stop button. Whether that moment will come in the bombastic 18-minute opening Allegro, in the silly seven-minute Scherzo, in the interminable 13-minute Larghetto, in the pompous 11-minute Allegro dramatico, or in the incoherent 16-minute finale that starts Larghetto sostenuto and ends Allegro deciso, trionfante depends entirely on whether or not the listener is still awake. While Raff's "An das Vaterland" has not lacked in recorded performances, none of them, including this one by
Hans Stadlmair and the
Bamberg Symphoniker, is entirely endurable. This is not to say that
Stadlmair is not a capable conductor -- he clearly knows how to make the most of Raff's rambling structures -- and not to say that the
Bamberg is not a competent orchestra -- they clearly mean to do justice to Raff's limited inventions -- but it is to say that not even
Herbert von Karajan and the
Berlin Philharmonic could make "An das Vaterland" interesting, much less entertaining. Tudor's sound is warm, deep, and full.