Ries: Complete Chamber Music for Flute & String Trio, Vol. 1

Featuring

Karl Kaiser
Annette Rehberger
Sebastian Wohlfarth
Gesine Queyras
Ardinghello Ensemble
Ferdinand Ries

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Ferdinand Ries, born in Bonn in 1784, was a piano student of Beethoven in Vienna for several years.

Performer Biography

The Ardinghello Ensemble, which performs chamber music from the classical and romantic periods, is named after the hero of a novel by Wilhelm Heinse.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Ferdinand Ries chose the flute quartet genre to escape constant comparisons with his teacher Beethoven, who never wrote a work in this genre.

Compositional Technique

The Flute Quartet in D minor, WoO 35, No. 1, features a main theme that creates a ten-bar arc of tension through melodic ascents, a crescendo, and rhythmic compression.

Interpretation

The Ardinghello Ensemble is committed to historically informed performance practice, with Karl Kaiser playing transverse flutes from the early 19th century and the string players using instruments with strings and bows from around 1820.

Historical Context

Ferdinand Ries's plans were thwarted three times by Napoleon's troops, who marched across Europe during his early career.

Composition History

Ries composed six of his eight symphonies during his time in London, where he also became a popular music teacher and member of the Philharmonic Society.