Interest in the music of Joachim Raff has so far concentrated chiefly on the orchestral works, while the operas, songs and even the fascinating chamber music have largely been neglected. One glance at Raff’s catalogue of works shows that more than half of his 216 opus numbers were written for the piano – for two or four hands. Then there are several unnumbered compositions, pieces re-edited by people other than himself, and a whole drawer full of four-handed piano arrangements of his own orchestral and chamber music works. The time has come for a new start. An ideal opening are the two piano sonatas No.2 (Op.168) and No.3 (Op.14, 2nd version), here recorded for the first time.

Award winning pianist Valentina Seferinova was born in Vidin, on the River Danube in Bulgaria. Recognised as a ‘child prodigy’, she gave solo recitals and played with many different chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras (both as soloist and accompanist) from a very early age. As well as numerous concert appearances, both solo and orchestral, in her native Bulgaria, Valentina has performed in Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. She also plays and records frequently for Bulgarian National Radio and Television. Her CD recordings are featured on BBC Radio 3 and playlists of Classical Music stations around the world.

World Premiere Recordings