Concertos pour piano (Volume 5)

Albumbeschreibung

Concluding Naxos' five-volume series of the piano concertos of Ferdinand Ries, pianist Christopher Hinterhuber and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Uwe Grodd, present the Piano Concerto in E flat major, Op. 42, Ries' first published concerto, and the Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 177, his last, with the Introduction et Rondeau brillant, Op. 144, sandwiched between them. A transitional figure, Ries seems to have absorbed characteristics of the burgeoning Romantic movement while retaining the formal control of Classicism. To the extent that he resembles his contemporaries, he certainly suggests Mozart, Haydn, Clementi, and Hummel as easily as he shows the influence of Beethoven, and even anticipates Liszt. Yet there is an integrity to his works that indicates that he wasn't a slavish imitator, while being sensitive to the dramatic changes in music during the early decades of the 19th century. Hinterhuber gives Ries his due by carefully gauging the intensity of his playing and accurately conveying the proper moods, whether it is his playfulness and charm, or more intense feelings of excitement and fury. It's quite interesting to find this wide expressive range and proficiency in a minor composer, and while one may be skeptical of Ries' genius, his music certainly shows he was ingenious.

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Details of original recording : 78:06 - DDD - Enregistré du 12 au 14 septembre 2011 au Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington (Nouvelle-Zélande)