Ferdinand Ries: Piano Concertos, Op. 42 and Op. 177

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 8570440).