Ries: Septet & Octet

Album review

If you need a break from Beethoven and want a vacation from Schubert, if you're tired of Kalkbrenner and had enough Hummel, if you like the high Classical, early Romantic, and late Imperial style and have heard everybody else, try Ries. Ferdinand Ries (1784-1837), Beethoven's pupil, secretary, and amanuensis, was an especially talented if not a particularly original composer. He could coin a catchy tune, write a clever harmony, and mold a shapely form even if he couldn't create anything that was actually unique. But, for those who love Ries' contemporaries, Ries is a real find, a composer who could speak eloquently even if he had nothing much to say. In this performance by the Linos-Ensemble, the Grand Septuor and Grand Otetto of Ries sound about as inspired as they ever will. Both works are scored for strings and winds with piano and both are played with a dedication that borders on compulsion. The Linos-Ensemble phrases with Ries' catchy tunes with clear affection, balances his clever harmonies with obvious care, and articulates his shapely forms with manifest intelligence. And while even at his best Ries cannot claim to be an original -- the rhythm that dominates the Grand Septuor's Trauermarsch is a direct swipe from the Marcia funèbre of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony -- he handles his stolen material with skill and the results are as appealing as third-rate music can be. CPO's sound is clean, deep, and full.
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