The fourteen works for piano and orchestra of Ferdinand Ries stand alongside those of Hummel as the finest and most important of their kind from the early decades of the 19th century. Intensely lyrical and yet displaying at times a rugged Beethovenian grandeur, Ries’s eight concertos are works of impressive musical stature. In this fifth and final recording we encounter the first and last of his published concertos and the virtuosic Rondeau brillant, Op 144. “Sparkling performances…the recording is first rate.” (Penguin Guide on Vol 3, 8.570440).
"... Performance and sound as before are beyond reproach ..."
Steven Haller - American Record Guide - March/April 2013
**** - Good
Guy Engels - Pizzicato magazine - February 2013
"Dramatic, expressive and very elegantly done, imbued with melodic creativity and splendid flourishes of orchestral colour."
" IRR Outstanding"
"... Viewed as a whole, it’s the generosity of the writing on this disc that leaves the strongest residual impression of Ries: The invention pours out of him in an exuberant flood, mixing easy lyricism with excited emotion, supported by well-planned formal patterns. No wonder he was such a hit with contemporary audiences ..."
Martin Anderson - International Record Review - January 2013
