Ferdinand Ries  
Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra  Volume  3  

"Abschieds-Concert von England”  

 Introduction et Variations Brillantes, Op. 170   

Grand Variations on "Rule Britannia", Op. 166  

Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, UK   

9-10 January 2007  

Christopher Hinterhuber, Piano
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra  

Uwe Grodd, Conductor  

DDD  

Naxos  5.70440  

Entertaining visions of England from a pupil and friend of Beethoven  

Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838), pupil, friend and biographer of Beethoven, made London his home from 1813 to 1824. The Piano Concerto No 7 was composed in 1823, the year before he returned to the Rhineland (its subtitle Farewell Concerto from England was added by the publisher); the Variations on Rule, Britannia were composed in Hastings in 1817…while the tune for the Variations, Op 170, though not identified as such in the score, turns out to be “Soldier, soldier will you marry me / With your musket, fife and drum”. In brief, a trio of England-related works that might have been specially written to fit neatly onto one CD.  

Are they worth hearing? Not if you require spiritual nourishment or intellectual stimulation, but if you enjoy brilliant display pieces whose untroubled function is to dazzle and entertain, then Ries is your man. Hummel is the model for the piano-writing (with some fascinating passages prescient of Chopin and Mendelssohn), though the extended first movement of the Concerto, with its lengthy and quirky cadenza, is at times in danger of attempting a faux Beethovenian profundity. As on Volumes 1 and 2, the excellent Christopher Hinterhuber has his work cut out and delivers the goods in sparkling, empathetic fashion…he now has the benefit of the RLPO. The role allotted to them is, to be frank, not demanding. The booklet (Allan Bradley, also responsible for the performing editions) is first-rate, as is the recorded sound.

Jeremy Nicholas - Gramophone, September 2009

Composer Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) wrote fourteen works for piano and orchestra, and I had remained unfamiliar with all of them until I auditioned this recording.  An associate of Beethoven, Ries enjoyed a concert platform career well into the 1830s. Having composed nine piano concertos, Ries inevitably suffers comparison with his more esteemed contemporary, whose influence can be felt in the flashy, martial, dotted rhythms that permeate his first offering here, the glittery 1823 Farewell to Britannia Concerto in A Major. But the harmonic functions in Ries differ decidedly in Ries, since he would rather rhapsodize than conform to any strictures about sonata-form. Cadenzas come and go, seemingly ad libitum; and the general, bombastic nature of the writing, its flamboyant fioritura, rather invites comparison with Weber’s Konzertstuck in F Minor more than with Beethoven, Hummel, Mendelssohn, or Chopin, though Ries’s rhetorical strategies borrow from them all.  

The second movement, Larghetto—which opens by almost quoting verbatim Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto—becomes “bardic,” strumming the theme over soft, string chords. A march suddenly emerges, but it, too, seems derivative of Mozart’s Requiem. Once or twice, I hear other allusions to Mozart, especially the big Concerto in C, K. 503.  Then, Mendelssohn kicks in, particularly the Capriccio Brillante, Op. 22. When I become impatient with Ries and the constantly intertwining runs and roulades, I glibly note that the piece seems 10% inspiration and 90% “scintillation.” The use of repeated notes in the first movement sounds like a stuttering sequence from Chopin or a Liszt Rhapsody, often in parody. A contemporary critic of 1824 wrote of Ries having composed for “the Aeolian harp.” I find the strings of that harp rather acrobatically arranged, which aligns me with Clara Schumann’s assessment of Camille Saint-Saens. The last movement, a flurried, galloping Allegro whose main, tripping tunes “borrow” from the last movements of Mozart’s G Minor Symphony and Chopin‘s E Minor Concerto, cascades along with predictable, if quirkily eclectic, panache.  

The second work to mark Ries’s retirement from the London stage is his 1817 Grand Variations on ‘Rule Britannia.’ An E-flat, pomposo introduction leads to a fragment—seven notes in the horns—of the jingoistic tune, a cell that assume various characters and guises, after, of course, the keyboard has had its verbose statement—the verses of the text—if you will. Each of the succeeding tuttis—acting as a responsive chorus—is numbered in the Ries score. The model for all this I suspect is Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia, Op. 80, herein diluted with ornamental peppers and paprika of a distinctly Gordian nature. Four variations behave rather placidly, given Ries’s extroverted nature; then, he begins to flex his musical muscles, changing the duple meter to a swaggering 6/8 and the tonality to A-flat. Some counterpoint ensues, rather a “learned” treatment from Ries, who thenceforth shows us he can conform—albeit playfully—to classical procedures, if he wishes. Harmonically, Ries does catch my ear with the shift for his coda; if only he would ease up on the roulades, which by now, I find a peacock’s affectation.   

Well, the sun never sets over…Ries. His Introduction et Variations Brillantes, oh so French, sets as a long introduction and four variants the tune, “Soldier, soldier, will you marry me?”  Its tripartite structure, with a long central Larghetto in A-flat Major and B Major, might just be distant antecedent for Franck’s Symphonic Variations. The dancing main air proves captivating, in a music-hall or shanty fashion, to the generous ear. The writing for flute, horns, and strings proves quite idiomatic, so let us not disparage Ries’ gifts for orchestration, keyboard facility, or stylistic variety. To wit, I grant Ries full credit for his musical mimicry of others’ styles, and concede that, were his talents in the visual arts, he might have enjoyed unqualified success as an art forger.

Gary Lemco - Audiophile Audition, July 2009

Perhaps the mother of Ries’s invention was the necessity of mass appeal. Writing to accommodate the tastes of the less musically sophisticated middle-class audiences that were increasingly finding the means to attend public concerts required a different approach. I hate the term “dumbing-down,” but we see it even in Beethoven, whose solo piano sonatas and string quartets, which were aimed at a smaller, more musically cultivated and elite audience, were more experimental and listener challenging than his concertos and symphonies, although here, too, he pushed the envelope. Likewise, Ries’s concerted works are immediately engaging, melodically and harmonically fluent, and filled with wonderfully imaginative and memorable turns of phrase.  

The grand orchestral tuttis clearly take Beethoven as their model, but the piano-writing is something else. In the A-Minor Concerto there is an exquisite prefiguring of Chopin and Mendelssohn, with its arabesques and filigree anchoring and sustaining the pivotal notes that constitute the melodic arc. This is gorgeous stuff that you will never tire of listening to. All three works on this disc date from Ries’s London period, the concerto—the seventh in order of publication and obvious from its title—was written in London in 1823 and marks the end of the composer’s period in England. The Introduction and Variations brillantes bears a higher opus number than the concerto only because it wasn’t published until later. This and the Grand Variations on “Rule Britannia” show Ries to be a thorough master of the variations style and technique.  

At present, there is little to no competition on CD in this repertoire, so Christopher Hinterhuber pretty much has the field to himself—all the more reason then to rejoice at his lively and beautifully turned performances. Uwe Grodd and the Royal Liverpool band accompany and complement him admirably. If you add to the equation over an hour’s worth of really enjoyable music, excellent playing, an outstanding recording, and Naxos’s budget price, you have a gold star winner.

Jerry Dubins - Fanfare, July 2009

While actual numbers are arbitrary at best—given the wide disconnect between known dates of composition and publication—the present notes seem fairly certain that the work in A minor heard here is Ries’s Seventh Concerto and dates from 1823, the year before he left London. It bears the title Abschieds-Concert von England (Farewell to England) and clearly shows that Ries at 39 was at the height of his creative powers. It’s clear from the grandeur and brilliance of this noble gesture that Ries wanted to give his adoring public something to remember him by.  

Unlike Ries’s other piano concertos, this one opens with a slow introduction, soon cast aside in favor of a confident forward stride centering around a sturdy dotted rhythm (first heard in the horns) that at once commands full attention. This rugged, yet remarkably resilient and expansive opening demands much from the orchestra as well as the soloist and sets up a satisfying give-and-take that unfolds in truly magisterial fashion, capped by a massive cadenza that surely must have held the audience transfixed. But the true centerpiece of the concerto is the Larghetto. The notes aptly tell us it “has a Beethovenian nobility about it”. The driving energy of the rondo finale is draining for listener and players alike; a bit more impish humor would not be amiss.  

If the more ephemeral, yet no less extroverted display common to the two sets of variations was intended to entertain Ries’s London audiences, they’re impeccably crafted and highly colored all the same; and they certainly don’t deserve to be dismissed by Colonial pianists merely because they make use of British themes. The Variations on the brightly tripping tune ‘Soldier, Soldier, Will you Marry me?’—unlike the finale of the concerto—has humor to spare even at a bracing clip; though as you might imagine the Liverpool players respond even more enthusiastically to Ries’s inventive and fanciful reimagining of ‘Rule Britannia’, with the full support of the yeoman horns.  

Sound is spacious and detailed, and as we reach the halfway point in Christopher Hinterhuber’s survey of the Ries piano concertos we may look ahead with renewed anticipation. You can find scores and parts at www.artaria.com.

Steven J Haller - American Record Guide, July 2009

Beethoven’s pupil Ferdinand Ries didn’t quite manage nine symphonies—he wrote eight—but he did outstrip his friend and mentor when it came to piano concertos (nine in all). Colin Clarke welcomed the first volume in Naxos’s ongoing series and Tim Perry wrote glowingly of the second; not surprisingly, I had high hopes for the third.  

Yes, such expectations do have a nasty habit of ending in disappointment, but when the signs are as auspicious as this…The Royal Liverpool band certainly needs no introduction; nor does conductor Uwe Grodd, who made such a good impression as the flautist and leader in Vanhal’s Flute Quartets (Naxos 8.570234). The Austrian pianist Christopher Hinterhuber also looks promising; he’s certainly had some illustrious teachers, Lazar Berman and Murray Perahia among them.  

Ries’s seventh concerto, written in London in 1823, is supposed to mark his farewell to the city, although the autograph score bears no such title. In any event it’s an effervescent work whose grand opening might tempt one to comparisons with Beethoven and Mozart. It’s clearly of that ilk but the music has an identity all of its own. This is writing of astonishing fluency and drive, qualities that Hinterhuber demonstrates from the outset. Arguably the orchestra sounds a little woolly here—it firms up nicely later on—but the piano remains warm and clear throughout.  

But that’s not all; Hinterhuber finds plenty of sparkle and wit as well, while always maintaining a sense of classical proportion and scale. And just listen to that lovely passage that appears briefly at 12:47, before the more ebullient mood returns. The orchestra respond to the music’s gentle rhythms with playing of great poise, but it’s in the Larghetto that they and the soloist establish a remarkable rapport. Those drowsy string figures at the start are beautifully articulated, as is Hinterhuber’s gentle reply, and one may be forgiven for thinking of the Andante to Mozart’s K.467 at times. This is lovely, twilight music, a perfect prelude to the sun-drenched Allegro that follows.  

One senses in this concerto an air of certainty and general well-being that spills over into the ‘Rule Britannia’ variations. Written in 1817 the piece has a wonderful lyricism that really plays to Hinterhuber’s interpretive strengths; he shades and points the familiar phrases with great care, reinventing ‘that tune’ with consummate skill. And what should one make of that passage at 9:42, which sounds remarkably like a snatch of ‘ragged time’? All-in-all a refreshing piece, winningly played.  

However, it’s the Introduction et Variations Brillantes that really astonishes and delights. Based on the English folk-song ‘Soldier, soldier will you marry me?’ this work has orchestral weight and drama aplenty; more than that it’s an excellent vehicle for Hinterhuber, whose aerated playing and fine rhythmic control remind me so much of that other player/performer, Gottschalk. Not as complex a piece as the earlier variations, perhaps, but delightful nonetheless.  

An admirable collection, made all the more desirable by the pianism of Christopher Hinterhuber. It’s been a while since I’ve heard playing of such consistent quality, of such lightness and character. That said, the real heroes are Ries himself—this music demands to be more widely heard—and Naxos, whose ongoing cycles and series have restored so many neglected composers to the catalogue.  

Captivating music, eloquently played and warmly recorded. Need I say more?

Dan Morgan - MusicWeb International, June 2009

Naxos has continued its survey of Beethoven protégé Ferdinand Ries’s excellent music. The latest release features the Piano Concerto Farewell to England (Op. 132), which is a wonderful romp. It is accompanied by some ingenious fun in the Grand Variations on “Rule Britannia” and another work.

Robert R. Reilly - InsideCatholic.com, May 2009

RECOMMENDED  

The concert begins with his seventh concerto (A minor, 1823) written as a farewell to England, and accordingly given the title "Abschieds-Concert von England." In the standard three movements, there are moments when the influence of Ferdinand’s friend and mentor Beethoven are evident, but for the most part there’s an ease and lightness of touch more typical of Ries’ contemporary Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837). Some passages even anticipate the piano concertos that would soon come from Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847) and Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849).  

In the standard three movements, the first is as long as the last two combined, and begins in furrowed brow Beethoven fashion. But the mood brightens as the piano enters, tossing off a delightful melody embellished with bravura displays. The writing is in the best tradition of romantic piano concertos, and includes a terrific cadenza that must have wowed London audiences. The movement ends in jubilation with a restatement of the opening piano theme.  

Except for a couple of forte outbursts from the orchestra, there’s a serenity and elegance about the larghetto that seem to be a Ries trademark. It leaves the listener relaxed and predisposed to the supercharged rondo finale, which contains a tiny motif [track-3, beginning at 00:55] somewhat like the opening theme from the last movement of Mozart’s fortieth symphony (1788). The concerto closes with a petite cadenza after which the orchestra chases the piano out the back door.  

The disc concludes with two sets of variations based on English melodies. The first of these, Grand Variations on "Rule Britannia" (1817), is a very clever piece of work that’s basically a theme and variations laid out in sonata form. It begins with a weighty introduction in which there are fragmented references to the main subject (see the newsletter of 18 February 2009) colorfully adorned by the piano. The soloist then states the big tune in all its glory, which Ries develops in a series of scintillating variations, covering an amazing variety of moods. The work ends in a spectacular recapitulative coda, which must be as enjoyable to play as it is to hear.  

Introduction et Variations Brillantes takes as its subject the melody for the folk song "Soldier, soldier will you marry me?" that’s reputedly of English origin, and became very popular in Colonial America. While not as structurally sophisticated as what we just heard, this piece is nonetheless a real crowd-pleaser. Here the composer uses some catchy tonal and rhythmic devices to come up with an engaging set of variations where the soloist is given plenty of opportunity to dazzle the audience. Is that a fleeting reference to "Rule Britannia" we hear just before the thrilling finale [track-5, beginning at 09:08]?  

Through their recordings for Naxos, award-winning pianist Christopher Hinterhuber and conductor Uwe Grodd are fast establishing themselves as two of today’s most up-and-coming musicians. As with their previous volumes of Ries concertos, the present release will win many friends for this unjustly neglected music. The performances by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are every bit as good as those with the New Zealand and Gavle Symphony Orchestras on the first CDs.  

The recordings are pellucid and well focused across a convincing soundstage, with an ideal balance between the soloist and orchestra.

Bob McQuiston - Classical Lost and Found, May 2009

No critic in his/her right mind would assert that Ferdinand Ries’ piano concertos are in the same aesthetic class as Beethoven’s works in the same form. Like the concertos of his early Romantic contemporary Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Ries’ works are far more about showing off the soloist and entertaining the audience than are Beethoven’s more nobly conceived and executed masterpieces. Still, one would have to have a critical heart of stone not to be beguiled by Ries’ thoroughly attractive concertos. As played here by pianist Christopher Hinterhuber with Uwe Grodd leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, three of Ries’ works for piano and orchestra receive splendidly performed and wholly persuasive readings. Though the imposing three-movement concerto called “Farewell to England” is the most substantial work here and the Introduction et Variations Brillantes is the most overtly virtuosic, perhaps the best work to start with is the Grand Variations on “Rule Britannia”. In a work with a theme familiar to almost every listener, Hinterhuber’s crisp articulation and burley technique are shown to excellent advantage, and the result is the most immediately attractive piece on the disc. Recorded in clean, slightly too close sound, this disc will likely tickle the musical funny bone of listeners already familiar with Beethoven’s concertos.

James Leonard - Allmusic.com, May 2009

Here we have three works in the grand 19th century tradition, unashamedly audience-pleasers, yet without pushing the boundaries of good taste. The concerto is a grandiose,large-scale (35 minutes!) work abounding in memorable melodies, and with a Beethoven-like robust orchestration. The two sets of variations are tuneful and exciting, with mercifully minimum instances of that vulgar Britannic theme...Pianist Hinterhuber and the Liverpool orchestra under the direction of Uwe Grodd are truly spectacular.

Giv Cornfield - The New Recordings, Cliffs Classics, April 2009

Though born in Germany, Ferdinand Reis, became England’s finest pianist in the first half of the 19th century, his fame linked with a sizeable catalogue of compositions. So illustrious, in fact, that at the age of 40 he had made sufficient money to retire, returning with his English wife to his native Rhineland. He marked the event with his Seventh Piano Concerto, to which he gave the subtitle ‘Farewell to England’, though the happiness of the finale may not have been entirely appropriate. Composed when still at the peak of his career, the outer movements sparkle with crystalline brilliance, with the central allegro enjoying peaceful beauty. It makes for a readily attractive score, its attraction here enhanced by a scintillating account from the young Austrian-born Christopher Hinterhuber, his ability to make runs sparkle like finely cut diamonds bringing vitality to the work’s abundant filigree bringing vitality. He, and conductor Uwe Grodd seize  the mood of the period and exactly strike the appropriate tempos, adding a degree of pensiveness at the close of the allegro. Six years earlier, in 1817, Ries created the ingenious Grand Variations on ‘Rule Britannia’, the familiar chorus not heard in full until the score has run its course for a few minutes. It’s a fun piece offering the soloist a display of virtuosity that Liszt would have envied. Rather less showy, but equally demanding on the soloist, the Introduction et Variations Brillantes, is a simple theme and four variations, based on the song Soldier, soldier will you marry me. Throughout the disc the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic show they are presently in exceedingly fine form. An immaculately balanced recording most highly recommended.

David Denton - David's Review Corner, March 2009

Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828)

Arpeggione Sonata D 821(arr. U. Grodd for flute)
Six Schubert Songs from  ‘Winterreise’, Op. 89, D. 911 and  Schwanengesang, D. 957 (arr. T. Boehm for flute)
Introduction and Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen’ from Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 160, D. 802

Recorded at the WEL Academy, Waikato University, Hamilton, New Zealand, from 26th to 27th August 2007

Producer and Editor: Wayne Laird    
Engineer: Paul McGlashan

Uwe Grodd, flute
Matteo Napoli, piano

Naxos Records, 2009, 8.570754  

The flute repertoire contains a number of works by Schubert, although many of them are arrangements. His flute writing in the symphonies is often quite soloistic—particularly in the fifth symphony—and his music lends itself well to the flute sound.

The Arpeggione sonata was originally composed for an instrument of that name, a type of bowed guitar which is now obsolete. The work lives on in several arrangements, for viola, cello and also flute.  Each of the flute transcriptions—there are a few—is subtly different. That by Uwe Grodd adds some further embellishment in the slow movement. This performance is a good one—the piano sound is clear and bright, and there is a good sense of partnership between the players. At times I would have liked a clearer flute sound to match that of the piano, as the microphones sometimes pick up air in the sound. The music is well phrased, and Grodd makes use of some lovely tone colours. The music is allowed to sing without being overly forced and the performers do not give in to self-indulgence.

Schubert is perhaps best known for his songs, and Theobald Boehm, developer of the modern flute, made arrangements of six of these for flute—or later for his newly invented alto flute—and piano. The first two of these songs come from Winterreise while the remaining four belong to Schwanengesang. These are wonderful arrangements, which are mostly simple and include some variation-like embellishment of the original theme. The themes are lyrical and expressive, and are played here with sensitivity. A particular favourite of mine is Ständchen, with its dark harmonies, mournful theme and turbulent climax.

Schubert’s original flute work, the Variations on Trockne Blumen is a substantial work, lasting over twenty minutes. The breathtaking introduction takes the dark harmonic mood of Ständchen and develops the lines further. This is a truly stunning opening which allows the flute an opportunity to show its rich, dark sonorous qualities. The minor key theme ends in the major, reflecting the poem (from Die schöne Müllerin), and this pattern is maintained throughout the majority of the variations. The work is a true duo, with complex technical displays for both instruments.

MusicWeb International  -  Carla Rees, 9 March 2009

Ein Pionier der Entwicklung der Floete war Theobald Boehm (1794-1881). Ihm verdanken wir zudem eine ganze Anzahl von Adaptionen Schubertscher Werke fuer sein Instrument, so auch die hier vorliegenden Arrangements bekannter Lieder.
Es sind Auszuege aus den beiden grossen Liedzyklen: ‘Winterreise’ und ‘Schwanengesang’, die hier mit erstaunlicher Sicherheit und Klangschoenheit gespielt werden, zumal das beruehmte ‘Staendchen’ das ebenos empfindsam wie warmherzig zum Erklingen kommt. Aber auch der dritte Zyklus ‘Die schoene Muellerin’, wird vom Floetisten herangezogen, und zwar durch das einzige Werk, das Schubert fuer die Floete geschrieben hat: ‘ Introduktion und Variationen zu ‘Trockene Blumen’.  Es ist dies eine beeindruckende, 20-minuetige Komposition, die hier ueberzeugend interpretiert wird, da beide Partner fein zusammenspielen. Besonders eindrucksvoll ist die Introduktion, und Grodd weiss, deren ganze Intensitaet herauszustellen, doch auch die einzelenen Variationen kommen gut differenziert zur Geltung.  

Dass die Arpeggione-Sonate D 821 fuer verschiedene Instrumente adaptiert wurde, erscheint nur selbstverstaendlich, weil es das Instrument  Arpeggione nicht mehr gibt. So haben wir deren fuer Bratsche, Cello, Klarinette (Fabio di Casola, cf Pizzicato, Jan. 2009) und auch fuer die Floete.
Grodd stellt seine eigene vor, die vor allem im Mittelsatz durch neue Verzierungen auffaellt. Sein Spiel beweist,  ebenso wie das seines Partners Matteo Napoli, Virtuositaet und Sensibilitaet, und somit haben wir es denn mit einer CD zu tun, die Aufmerksamkeit verdient.

Pizzicato, September 2009

Johann Nepomuk HUMMEL (1778-1837)

Le retour de Londres – Grand Rondeau brilliant, Op.127 (1833)
Variations and Finale in B flat major, Op.115 (1830)
Oberons Zauberhorn, Op.116 (1829) 
Variations in F major, Op.97 (1820)

Gävle Symphony Hall, Gävle, Sweden
16th to 20th January 2006

Christopher Hinterhuber, Piano
Gävle Symphony Orchestra
Uwe Grodd, Conductor

DDD
NAXOS 8.557845

Gramophone Editor's Choice

Last month's One to Watch comes good in this lovely disc of Hummel rarities. Christopher Hinterhuber is terrific in these works, and seems to be fast becoming a Naxos favourite. That label also works its old and much-appreciated trick of unearthing a really excellent but little-hyped band in the Gävle Symphony Orchestra.

Ear-tickling Hummel unearthed

The four concertante pieces on this imaginative disc were written between 1820 and 1833, primarily as vehicles to show off Hummel's virtuosity at the keyboard. He wrote The Return to London in celebration of his return to the capital after 40 years - and the visit was a triumph. The jaunty main rondo theme prompts a sequence of free variations punctuated by improvisatory passages.

The Variations and Finale offers a similar free formula, again with a breezy main theme, while Oberons Zauberhorn ("Oberon's Magic Horn") uses material from Weber's opera which was being performed at the time. Surprisingly little of Weber's material is involved but it makes a colorful piece with a strikingly dramatic opening and with a storm sequence full of tremolos and horn fanfares. The Variations in F date from 1820, a simpler set, well varied, with a cadenza near the end and an emphatic close.

Christoper Hinterhuber, who has already recorded piano music by CPE Bach for Naxos, is a first-rate soloist, accompanied by the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, one of the oldest in Sweden, under its German music director Uwe Grodd. An excellent disc of long-buried rarities, well-worth hearing. 

Edward Greenfield - Gramophone- February 2008

Recorded a matter of days after their most recent Ries disc, Christopher Hinterhuber and Uwe Grodd give us what, I hope, is the first in a series of Hummel albums. There are no concertos here, but this collection of four concert pieces for piano and orchestra dating from 1820 to 1833 makes for an attractive programme. Hummel’s virtuosic music calls for finesse rather than barnstorming, and these cultivated artists know just how to play it. 

The disc opens with the last of the works to be composed, the Grand Rondeau brilliant – given the title Le retour de Londres in the published score, but referred to as Le retour à Lourdes in a letter to Moscheles. What’s in a name? This is no tone poem depicting place; rather, it is a first class vehicle for expressive pianism. The piece opens with a long-breathed introduction of imposing grandeur before Hummel blows the clouds away with a fresh breezy rondeau, full of smiles, sparkle and spice. Hinterhuber trots stylishly and at a well judged pace through the virtuosic writing and the orchestra under Grodd is sympathetically supportive. 

The longest piece in the programme, Oberons Zauberhorn, is something of a tone poem in the form of a free fantasia. It was inspired by Weber’s opera Oberon but quotes very little of the opera’s musical material: Hummel uses little more than Weber’s horn-call motif and in any case he more-or-less composes his own. The piece is musically and dramatically satisfying, veering from an atmosphere of mystery to an ebullient march; from a fierce summer storm to a joyful close. 

The Variations and Finale in B flat major begin with a grand, almost tragic larghetto before Hummel states his theme, a simple song from the Berlin stage. What he does with the tune, though, is anything but simple. Hummel reminds us in these variations of his extraordinary improvisatory facility. They are far from simple elaborations, but are ceaselessly charming. The earlier Variations in F major which bring the disc to a close are more formally structured, with the theme stated at the outset and the orchestra linking the variations. I have to confess it is my least favourite of the pieces on this disc. It seems stiff after the greater fluidity of Hummel's conception in the three pieces that precede it. At 17 minutes, it also seems overlong. That said, there is certainly nothing wrong with Hinterhuber's playing or the stylish accompaniment. 

Allan Badley again contributes a thoughtful set of liner notes and the recorded sound at this venue is as good as ever.

Naxos already has an old ex-Marco Polo recording of Hummel’s two most famous piano concertos, his Op.85 and Op.89, on its books. Perhaps now is the time for them to re-record these pieces along with the rest of Hummel’s half dozen or so piano concertos and other concertante works. It would be next to impossible for anyone to surpass Stephen Hough in Op.85 and Op.89 (CHAN 8507), but on the evidence of this disc Hinterhuber and Grodd have something to say about Hummel and it is something worth hearing.

Tim Perry - Musicweb International - February 2008

Every one of the four pieces for piano and orchestra on this new Naxos release show Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) at his most inventive. Composed between 1820 and 1833, these one-movement occasional pieces make it easy to believe reports by his contemporaries that Hummel was not only an incredible virtuoso, but also an extraordinary improviser. The spontaneity and freshness of these works may even remind some listeners of what would soon come from the great American pianist and composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829-1869). 

Le retour de Londres -- Grand Rondeau brillant (1833) was one of Hummel's last pieces and there's a certain amount of abandon about it that's often typical of composers' final works. It opens reservedly, but it's not long before a big six-four chord announces a perky rondo theme which recurs periodically throughout the piece. The episodes between its appearances are some of the most progressive music Hummel ever came up with, and make you wonder if Chopin might have heard this. The work concludes with a thrilling coda embellished by impressive displays of digital dexterity from the soloist.

Two sets of variations separated by a period of ten years are included. The Variations in F major (1820) begins with a theme that sounds like it must have been inspired by Papageno's little song from Mozart's The Magic Flute. It's subjected to a number of delightful transformations which are less formal than is usually the case with a work of this type. In fact Hummel never strays too far from the basic melody and relies on rhythmic devices and orchestral colorations to achieve variety.

With a slow, moody introduction, the Variations and Finale in B flat major (1830) is a more involved work, but once underway there's the same lightness of touch that was present in the two preceding pieces. The theme was apparently taken from a singspiel that was popular in Berlin at that time. Although it's a catchy little number, you'll probably find this is a case where Hummel's inventive variations are far more interesting than the original tune. Be that as it may, this work must rank as one of the composer's best in this form. And again, one can only wonder at one point [track-2, beginning at 07:37] whether Chopin might have known it. Towards the end there's a lovely introspective variation followed by an animated, highly embellished reprise. This puts the frosting on this tasty torte and brings the piece to a radiant close. 

While Hummel's fantasy for piano and orchestra Oberons Zauberhorn (also known as L'Enchantment d'Oberon, 1829) was undoubtedly inspired by Weber's Oberon (1929), it's very much an independent creation except for an opening reference to the three-note horn motif that begins the opera. It's in five connected parts that include a spirited march and wonderfully spooky storm episode (there's also a storm in the stage work). The latter is made all the more dramatic by some lightning-fast runs and thunderous chords played by the soloist. The fantasy concludes with one of Hummel's most distinguished themes, which is related to the opening "Oberon" motif and introduced by the horn. Thematically speaking it brings this engaging showpiece full circle, and to an exciting conclusion.

Pianist Christopher Hinterhuber works more of his keyboard magic for Naxos here (see the newsletters of 16 January 2006 and 10 October 2007) with spirited, yet highly articulate performances of all four works. The support provided this outstanding artist by the Gavle Symphony Orchestra under Uwe Grodd is ideal.

The recorded sound is certainly acceptable, but there is some digital graininess in piano passages. It would be very interesting to hear what these pieces would have sounded like had something like Ray Kimber's IsoMike or Erik Sikkema's ULSI recording methodology been used.

Bob McQuiston Classical Lost and Found, January 30, 2008

Two of the major post-Beethoven musical figures were both born while Mozart was still alive; yet both were touted for a time as towering composers and worthy Beethoven successors. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) and Louis (or Ludwig) Spohr (1784-1859) knew each other’s music; Spohr certainly thought well of Hummel’s. Hummel was a friend of Beethoven and was Haydn’s successor as Kapellmeister to Prince Esterházy in Eisenstadt. He was also a piano virtuoso of very considerable skill, with much of his writing for piano designed to demonstrate his own abilities as a performer. Christopher Hinterhuber plays four “showcase” works on this new Naxos CD – and the pieces confirm that Hummel, although scarcely the great composer he was once thought to be, never deserved the obscurity into which he later fell, and is worthy of the somewhat tentative revival of his music that has taken place in recent years.

Le retour de Londres—Grand Rondeau brilliant is the latest work here, dating to 1833, and is quite impressive. A sweeping, emotional introduction gives way to a rather trivial rondo theme that is varied in a wide variety of ways, from grand and moving to decidedly perky. The Variations and Finale in B flat major of 1830 also begins with a slow introduction, followed by a symmetrical and rather gentle theme in ¾ time that Hummel pulls apart and elaborates in more ways than the basic theme would seem to support. Oberons Zauberhorn (1831) is a fascinating work and a strange one. Purely on its own, it is an impressive dramatic fantasia built around a horn call and including, among other episodes, an unusually dark and dramatic section about two-thirds of the way through. But this work was never intended to be heard without context: it is an interpretative tribute to Carl Maria von Weber’s opera Oberon, which is built around a horn theme (but not Hummel’s horn theme) and which features similar episodes (but not using Hummel’s music). It is, in effect, Hummel’s interpretation of the mood of the opera, making references to Weber’s work without actually quoting much of its music. For those who know Oberon, Hummel’s piece will be all the more fascinating. Not so the final work in the CD, though: the Variations in F Major (1820) are workmanlike but not particularly distinguished. However, they do clearly show Hummel’s place in musical history, since the theme itself is distinctly Mozartean, featuring interesting ornamentation and considerable poise and balance.

Hinterhuber plays all this music with a great deal of panache, and Uwe Grodd and the Gävle Symphony Orchestra provide absolutely wonderful backup: detailed, enthusiastic and very well played.

Infodad.com, December 2007

The only  surviving concertante work of Joseph Kraus, the Violin Concerto in C major is substantial in both length and content. It incorporates moments of technical brilliance and displays influences from Mannheim, where Kraus learnt his trade.

Takako Nishizako makes a persuasive case for it with solo playing of Classical poise and tonal purity. More might have been made of Kraus’s prescribed dynamic contrasts, especially in the first movement, but Nishizaki shows a natural, supple response to the line and phrase in the dramatic central Adagio, revelling in its soaring melodies and moments of almost recitative-like freedom. She plays the minuet-like finale with an attractive, chimerical lightness, which comes especially to the fore in its two expansive episodes. Uwe Grodd and his forces support in a traditional but uninflated style and give powerful accounts of music from Kraus’s Olympie and Azire. These recordings are clean, with fresh string-tone and well-defined bass.

Robin Stowell - The Strad

Michael Loos - http://www.klassik.com/- Oktober 2007

Bob McQuiston - Classical Lost and Found- Oktober 2007

... see also videoclip of the rehearsal 

Uwe Grodd ‘ Fastidious Elegance!”

Three elegant but melodically routine works, Op 7 No 2, 3 and 6 by Vanhal, a contemporary of Haydn, are played with fastidious elegance by Uwe Grodd and the Janaki String Trio. Grodd’s strong projection of pure tone across all registers and finely contoured phrasing earns this distinctive flautist my great respect.

    Ian Dando  NZ Listener  November 10-16 2007

“…Attractive works and performances. Playing of deft sensitivity, full of proportion, equilibrium, expressive contouring and lyrical affection. ...”              

Vaňhal’s chamber music includes a folio of works for flute and amongst those are seventeen Flute Quartets. They were clearly popular in their day having been published by more than one publisher and were written either for flute or for oboe. One even exists in a version for Clarinet Quartet. The set was originally published in 1771 but this recording prefers to use the more influential Sieber edition of 1772.
 
Fortunately the performances and each of the three quartets prove attractive. The players of the Janaki String Trio and flautist Uwe Grodd play on modern instruments and do so with deft sensitivity. There is little in the way of pyrotechnical frisson – the Viennese muse here is full of proportion, equilibrium and expressive contouring, all garnished with lyrical affection. The solo instrument’s integration into the texture is exemplified by the opening Moderato of the B flat major where we find an aloofly elegant presentation of melody lines and a text book working out of themes. The slow movement of the same quartet is richly lyrical and the succeeding scherzo fluent, genial and full of expertly judged voice distribution.
 
The G major quartet represents another facet of Vaňhal’s command of chamber textures and rhythms – the natural buoyancy of his material. The Allegro moderato springs along with zest but controlled elegance. Note the pointed cello lines, so adroitly brought out by Arnold Choi, and Serena McKinney and Katie Kadarauch’s violin and viola statements. Doubling of the melody line is done with matching tonal reserves – small scale playing and rightly so. The pert Minuet of the C major has its counterpoint in the more ebullient moments of the Presto finale. Counter-lines are well brought out and Grodd once more ensures that his role is never one that draws undue attention to himself at the expense of his colleagues.
 
Naxos has used this recording location before and it absorbs the playing without magnifying it unduly. The handy notes also disclose that these are world premiere recordings.
 

Jonathan Woolf- MusicWeb international - April 2007

“Performances could not be bettered”

Another Naxos release finds Auckland flautist Uwe Grodd with the American Janaki Trio in three flute quartets by the Czech Johann Baptist Vanhal, a successful freeelancer and one of the most popular composers of 18th-century Vienna.
  
 Performances could not be bettered and the Canadian recording has an attractive ambience.

New Zealand Herald May 2007

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s partnership with Naxos has produced first-rate outings this year. Hot of the press, are two Piano Concertos by Ferdinand Ries. Austrian Christopher Hinterhuber is a stylish soloist and Auckland’s own Uwe Grodd draws idiomatic, sparkling performances from the orchestra. The music itself is halfway house between Beethoven and Chopin, with a few ripples from Weber on the side, heard at its very best in the two slow movements.

William Dart, New Zealand Herald, 12/14/2005

Much of the credit for this recording's success is due to the verve and conviction of the soloist, whom I have not encountered before: Austrian born and a pupil of Lazar Berman, among others.  If Howard Shelley is the current undisputed master in this kind of repertoire, Hinterhuber comes not far behind.  The New Zealanders provide keen and sympathetic support under Grodd and the recorded balance is exemplary.  This distinguished release is completed by the booklet from Allan Badley , who also provided the performing edition of these delightful concertos. If these two world premiere recordings are anything to go by, the complete Ries for piano and orchestra promised by Naxos will be a most welcome addition to the catalog.

 Jeremy Nicholas - Gramophone, Dec. 2005

An hour of sheer delight here. Ferdinand Ries is probably best known for his associations with Beethoven. Here is an opportunity to hear how he sounds on his own two compositional feet in two world premiere recordings.

And excellent they are, too. Christopher Hinterhuber is a pupil of Lazar Berman, and something of his mentor's facility has obviously rubbed off. Scores which are presumably often black with semiquavers clearly are bread and water to this pianist. The 'Gruss an den Rhein' concerto (first on the disc; second in the booklet notes) was composed at Bad Godesberg. Ries grew up in the area of the Rhine, and something of that river's unhurried majesty is conveyed in the first movement. The orchestra's opening is warm and very, very welcoming, for example. Hinterhuber revels in the sparkling piano writing, often very close to Chopin in its filigree.

The slow movement (Larghetto con moto) is only five minutes long but is a lovely Nocturne that reveals the warmth carried by the recording. The finale is prefaced by a cadenza; dazzling fingerwork here. When it arrives properly, this last movement is as jolly as they come. To its credit, the New Zealand orchestra manages to sound involved throughout; no easy task surely in works that are clearly designed as pianistic showcases.

The C major Concerto, Op. 123 seems closer to Hummel than Chopin, with liberal dollops of Beethoven along the way. The first movement is a dramatic entity, with Ries surely trying a couple of things along the way. The recording in this case seems particularly well-balanced in forte, opening out nicely. There is much fantasy here too; only the cadenza tends towards the weak.

The long and restful 'Larghetto quasi andante' includes a lovely clarinet solo and a dark central section before the sparkling rondo-finale - quite suave at times - rounds off a most enjoyable disc. When the orchestra opts to add a 'raw' edge, it is as if it is nodding in the direction of the 'authentic'. A nice touch.

An excellent disc. One of the beauties of Naxos is that one can experiment with rare repertoire at low cost. Here that cost is certainly justified.

Colin Clarke - MusicWeb-International.com,  January 2006 

Glyn Pursglove - MusicWeb-International.com,  January 2006

Naxos and affiliates are doing the music world a double favor, not just by recording this worthy music in fine performances, but also by publishing it (through Artaria Editions) so that others have the opportunity to play it. Let's hope that they do. Ferdinand Ries likely was Beethoven's most famous pupil, and if you've been collecting CPO's complete symphony cycle, you already know that he was a significant if not earth-shattering creative voice. Twenty years separate these two concertos. The earlier C major piece dates from 1806 and obviously recalls Mozart as its chief model (Beethoven's Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos had yet to appear). It's very pretty, tuneful, and effectively written for the soloist. Speaking of which, Christopher Hinterhuber plays extremely well, and presumably deserves credit for the excellent cadenza at the end of the first movement.

The Concerto in A-flat, subtitled "Gruss an den Rhein", represents a musical homecoming for the composer after many years spent in London. The triple-time opening movement might call to mind Schumann in his similarly ebullient "Rhenish" mood, as does the piano writing itself. If you've enjoyed the contemporary concertos of Hummel, then you will know what to expect: music halfway between Beethoven and Chopin. The increase in virtuosity goes hand in hand with a more relaxed formal organization. In the first movement the opening tutti is quite brief, and there are no formal cadenzas at all. This concerto deserves to return to the active repertoire, with Hinterhuber's elegance and verve (not to mention his nice, clean scales) making an excellent case for the work. Uwe Grodd also deserves credit for conducting the New Zealand Symphony with the requisite energy. To the credit of all concerned, the music never once sounds second rate. The sonics are very fine too. A real discovery, then, and best of all Naxos lists this as "Volume 1".

David Hurwitz - www.classicstoday.com, January 2006

 
Manukau City Symphony Orchestra