Sinfonietta, Op. 188 [Alf:36-A747601]

The German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff (1822-1882), often viewed controversially now due to claims discovered after his death that he was heavily involved in the creation of works of his friend and benefactor Franz Liszt, was regarded in his lifetime as the equal of Wagner and Brahms. He wrote for every ensemble and succeeded in everything outside of opera. Raff composed his SINFONIETTA, Op. 188 in 1873 for double wind quintet, and it premiered on March 13, 1875, in St. Petersburg, Russia. The work proved immediately popular, and it remains among his more performed works today, though it appears that Raff also coined the term "sinfonietta" as no other work bore that title prior to his, and the next use is by Rimsky-Korsakov for his SINFONIETTA ON RUSSIAN THEMES. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0.