Early Romantic Piano Quartets by Hummel, Ries & Schubert

Featuring

Heleen Hulst
Elisabeth Smalt
Mátyás Virág
Bart van Oort
Van Swieten Society
Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Ferdinand Ries
Franz Schubert

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Compositional Technique

Ferdinand Ries's Piano Quartet in F minor includes a direct quote from Mozart's Piano Sonata in F major, KV 332, in its slow movement.

Composer Biography

Around 1815, Johann Nepomuk Hummel was considered the most famous pianist in the world, and even Liszt was enthusiastic about his music.

Composition History

Johann Nepomuk Hummel intentionally kept his Piano Quartet in G major unpublished during his lifetime, preferring to perform it himself to make his concerts unique events.

Compositional Technique

Franz Schubert's Adagio and Rondo Concertante in F major features a brilliant piano part that is supported by three string instruments, rather than an even distribution of instrumental roles.

Interpretation

The Van Swieten Society, the performers on this album, uses period instruments and explores the expressive possibilities of the era in which the pieces were written.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a pupil of Mozart, and Ferdinand Ries, a pupil of Beethoven, each steered Romanticism in different directions, with Ries known for 'wild Romanticism' and Hummel for enchanting virtuosity.