Ries: Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano

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FERDINAND RIES
Ries: Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano
Eric Grossman (violin) / Susan Kagan (piano)

[ Naxos / CD ]

Release Date: Monday 2 February 2015

This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.

Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven's student, close friend and biographer. He was a gifted and prolific composer whose works, like those of many other composers of his time, were largely overshadowed by Beethoven's presence. Ries's music was widely known and admired in his lifetime, and his 18 Violin Sonatas are models of the Viennese Classical style established by Mozart. The pastoral character of the first Sonata, Op. 8 is enlivened through the unusual appearance of a fugue, while the second of the pair features a lovely, serene Adagio cantabile. The large-scale drama of the Grande Sonata, Op. 19 links it to Beethoven's Appassionata.

"Ferdinand Ries was Beethoven's student, close friend and biographer, but until quite recently was very much one of those composers living in the shadow of his Bonn master, rather than as the gifted and prolific composer he in fact was. The playing, positioning and recording are first-rate, and the three pieces recorded are charming, entertaining and with a good feel for motivic development. Whether they form part of a more extended investigation into the composer's repertoire for violin and piano, or remain just a one-off sampler, at the bargain price offered, they are simply too good to miss." (MusicWeb Recording of the Month April 2015)

"Susan Kagan…is an excellent pianist, and one who is wholly sympathetic to Ries's music. Her playing is a model of clarity, imagination, and taste. Eric Grossman…is well matched with both Kagan and Ries's sonatas. …he brings welcome fire and temperament to these sonatas, as well as a warm, vibrant tone. There's not a trace of dullness in his musicianship. Unreservedly recommended" Fanfare

Tracks:

Violin Sonata in F, Op. 8, No. 1
Violin Sonata in C minor, Op. 8, No. 2
Grande Sonata in F Minor, Op. 19