Customer Reviews

Ferdinand Ries: Double Horn Concerto; Violin Concerto; Overtures

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ries is sorely under-rated as a composer, and reasons for this are not clear. Yes, he was not Beethoven, but then who was? However, Ries was an amazingly gifted composer who wrote music that is compelling and memorable. His music does not always have the intense concentration of material that we find in Beethoven, but it still gives great enjoyment and grows on repeated hearings. The orchestra in this recording is a little "scrappy" at times, but the problems lie mainly with the soloists. The horns play in time and are someplace around the right notes, but not always on them, and that is unfortunate. The violinist sounds better in the lower registers, but in higher passages can sound thin. Maybe it is the recording, but the sound of the soloists is not always pleasing, which is the final test. Some reviewers unfairly knocked Ries as a composer because they did not like the performances, and that is not fair. There are remarkable passages in all these works--and even times when you will listen and say, "Beethoven could have written that." But Ries was more than a mere imitator, much as he easily worked in Beethoven's style, as much of his music looks forward to the "Romantic" style and can at times put you in mind of Chopin or Schumann. All in all, his work is a fascinating amalgam, and his inspiration and skill are definitely make his music well worth knowing. Although we are in the midst of a minor rediscovery of Ries (thanks mostly to Naxos), it is not certain when these pieces will receive a better treatment, if ever. So if you want to hear these pieces, this may be your best chance.

While it's true that this recording is less than stellar, I think the criticism of Ries' music itself, apart from this particular performance, is unjustified. Except for Franz Schubert, comparisons of composers of this era with the Olympic Beethoven are impossible. In fairness to Ries, can you name another composer who could successfully write in the style Beethoven? The first time I heard a Ries piano concerto I remarked to a friend, "My God, it sounds as if Beethoven had a little brother!

This is my 5th purchase of Ries music I discoveed recently. The others are four CD's of his piano concertos which I love. The Double Horns and Violin concerti sound like being played by high-school amatures and not by professional players. The music is very nice but I would be looking for a better recording.

Probably the worst recording I have ever bought; the horns are flat almost though-out the entire performance; the violin concerto is mediocre at best to say nothing of the squally violin. Avoid this disc at all costs; this music has deserved its obscurity; makes Mozart's Musical Joke sound like Heaven in comparison. Sorry to be so harsh, but hearing is believing. Buyer beware. Bo Biffa