Symphony No. 3 in F major Im Walde (In the Forest) was composed by Joachim Raff in Wiesbaden in 1869 and was premiered in 1870 in Weimar. Along with his Fifth Symphony, it was one of his most successful and frequently performed works during his lifetime and it earned him a reputation as a symphonist. An American critic named it "the best symphony of modern times" while Hans von Bülow described the symphony's success as "colossal". It was published in 1871 in Leipzig. A typical performance lasts for about 45 minutes.
Contents
As a Romantic, Raff was deeply inspired by nature. As such, six of his nine programme symphonies are related to nature.
Instrumentation
The symphony is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in F, 3 trombones, timpani, triangle and strings.
Structure
The symphony is structured in three parts and four movements: