Classical Lost and Found, May 2009

The concert begins with his seventh concerto (A minor, 1823) written as a farewell to England, and accordingly given the title “Abschieds-Concert von England.” In the standard three movements, there are moments when the influence of Ferdinand’s friend and mentor Beethoven are evident, but for the most part there’s an ease and lightness of touch more typical of Ries’ contemporary Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837). Some passages even anticipate the piano concertos that would soon come from Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) and Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849).

In the standard three movements, the first is as long as the last two combined, and begins in furrowed brow Beethoven fashion. But the mood brightens as the piano enters, tossing off a delightful melody embellished with bravura displays. The writing is in the best tradition of romantic piano concertos, and includes a terrific cadenza that must have wowed London audiences. The movement ends in jubilation with a restatement of the opening piano theme.

Except for a couple of forte outbursts from the orchestra, there’s a serenity and elegance about the larghetto that seem to be a Ries trademark. It leaves the listener relaxed and predisposed to the supercharged rondo finale, which contains a tiny motif [track-3, beginning at 00:55] somewhat like the opening theme from the last movement of Mozart’s fortieth symphony (1788). The concerto closes with a petite cadenza after which the orchestra chases the piano out the back door.

The disc concludes with two sets of variations based on English melodies. The first of these, Grand Variations on “Rule Britannia”(1817), is a very clever piece of work that’s basically a theme and variations laid out in sonata form. It begins with a weighty introduction in which there are fragmented references to the main subject (see the newsletter of 18 February 2009) colorfully adorned by the piano. The soloist then states the big tune in all its glory, which Ries develops in a series of scintillating variations, covering an amazing variety of moods. The work ends in a spectacular recapitulative coda, which must be as enjoyable to play as it is to hear.

Introduction et Variations Brillantes takes as its subject the melody for the folk song “Soldier, soldier will you marry me?” that’s reputedly of English origin, and became very popular in Colonial America. While not as structurally sophisticated as what we just heard, this piece is nonetheless a real crowd-pleaser. Here the composer uses some catchy tonal and rhythmic devices to come up with an engaging set of variations where the soloist is given plenty of opportunity to dazzle the audience. Is that a fleeting reference to “Rule Britannia” we hear just before the thrilling finale [track-5, beginning at 09:08]?

Through their recordings for Naxos, award-winning pianist Christopher Hinterhuber and conductor Uwe Grodd are fast establishing themselves as two of today’s most up-and-coming musicians. As with their previous volumes of Ries concertos, the present release will win many friends for this unjustly neglected music. The performances by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are every bit as good as those with the New Zealand and Gavle Symphony Orchestras on the first CDs.

The recordings are pellucid and well focused across a convincing soundstage, with an ideal balance between the soloist and orchestra.

Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found, May 2009, RECOMMENDED