Ries - Violin Concerto E minor, Op. 24 on Youtube

[Hector]

The Sinfonietta Riga, with Florian Donderer - Solo Violin & Conductor

https://youtu.be/sC-AlDExpp4?si=GP2-7yvS55EBWX3J

[Alan Howe]

Delicious - thank you very much! Probably better than the recording on cpo?

[Hector]

I think so, but I can't put my finger on why, better phrasing?

[Alan Howe]

A better orchestra and a more expressive soloist, maybe?

[Mark Thomas]

It's a distinct improvement on cpo's - the soloist just brings so much more life to the piece and the orchestral contribution is more nuanced and dynamically varied.

[Alan Howe]

What a pity this hasn't been recorded and released commercially. The Riga Sinfonietta have mostly done contemporary repertoire, but they'd be sensational in late classical/early romantic music...

[Mark Thomas]

Having listened a few times to this performance I'm afraid that, good though it is, it doesn't make the music any more memorable - for me at least. The finale has an earworm theme, but the first two movements don't strike me as Ries at his best. Still, it's an early work.

[Alan Howe]

I tend to agree, but I'm a sucker for violin concertos - and I enjoyed watching the soloist so patently finding joy in performing the music.

[Hector]

I am a Ries fan, but even I would rate the violin concerto 'engaging' rather than 'great.' The drama is of a domestic, Biedermeier, scale. But then, I don't always want to be moved to the core by great beauty or tragedy, sometimes I just want 'engaging.'  The opening theme of the finale may perhaps be too good, as it obliterates in my recollection of the piece all the other themes. It sounds like many of the other folk influenced themes Ries later used for finales.   

[Alan Howe]

In general I don't find Ries' music really 'grabs' me anyway. At his best he's very much 'school of Beethoven" - he's fun, often exhilarating, but does he ever hit the heights? I'm not so sure.

[Hector]

Oh yes he hits the heights, especially in motivic and harmonic development. The A minor symphony, the C sharp minor Concerto, the C major String Quintet, and the F minor Quartet are good examples of his 'heights.' I suspect his virtues are more Classical than Romantic.

[Alan Howe]

You may well be right. I do enjoy his music, though.

[Mark Thomas]

I very much enjoy the vigour of the later symphonies and concertos and don't mind in the slightest Ries' very clear debt to Beethoven. Thanks for the chamber music recommendations, Hector.

[Alan Howe]

Speaking personally, I prefer the greater individuality of, say, Franz Krommer - especially his very late 9th Symphony.

[terry martyn]

That's interesting,Alan.   That might explain why I listen to Ries and find his piano concertos pleasant enough (and his symphonies too,but to a lesser extent),but there's always a sense of anticipation when I turn to the symphonies of Krommer.