Ries Piano Concerto

This affordable CD contains works by four pianist/composers who all knew and admired Beethoven. Except for the von Lichnowsky Variations, each of the included works is scored for a piano and a medium sized collection of instruments (two octets and one nonet), resulting in a texture somewhere between a piano trio and a concerto. The piano is featured in all the compositions, much like Beethoven's Septet. The recording has minimal reverberation, giving the disc the overall impression of a chamber recital.

The events of Beethoven's life are the stuff of Romantic legend, evoking images of the solitary creator shaking his fist at Fate and finally overcoming it through a supreme effort of creative will. His compositions, which frequently pushed the boundaries of tradition and startled audiences with their originality and power, are considered by many to be the foundation of 19th century musical principals. Born in the small German city of Bonn on or around December 16, 1770, he received his early training from his father and other local musicians.

This new recording from Trio Parnassus presents the world premiere recording of the three piano trios that Ries made after Beethoven's String Trios op. 9 and which Beethoven's enterprising publisher Simrock immediately sold as his opus no. 61. Hardly anyone was as closely associated with Beethoven as Ferdinand Ries. His parents took the young Beethoven under their wing after his mother's death; Ferdinand himself later became Beethoven's pupil and private secretary in Vienna. These arrangements were common - and Ries mastered his craft as virtuosically as he was familiar with his teacher's tonal language. Nevertheless, Beethoven must have been surprised by the publication - after all, no one had asked him about it before. Ries understood how to preserve the character of the originals in the transfer to the piano trio and at the same time find Beethoven's tone for the new version. The violin part remains almost unchanged; the cello takes over the part of the viola, while the left hand of the piano takes care of the basses. Since Ries also provided Beethoven's publishing correspondence, the path to publication was only a few lines of letters long. Today, the trios are correctly assigned to Beethoven's Opus No. 9 (No. 61 belongs to the famous Violin Concerto). Trio Parnassus approaches these delightful additions to the repertoire with the necessary respect and joy in playing. Luxuriously presented as a Super Audio CD, this high quality new production should convince even the most critical Beethoven admirers!

Vilde Frang’s Homage is more than a captivating programme of short pieces for violin and piano, it is also a homage to the players of the Golden Age of the Violin, such as Fritz Kreisler, Leopold Auer and Joseph Szigeti. The recital includes music originally conceived not just for the violin, but also for piano, orchestra or voice, and proves once again, as BBC Music Magazine wrote, that “Frang has the knack of breathing life into every note, whether by variations in phrasing, attack, tone or dynamic.”