This
is the second volume in the Naxos Ries series devoted to
his Piano Concertos (see
review of volume 1). It’s proving
to be a rather beguiling stroll through eclectic pathways,
incomparably
aided by
some devoted, first class performances and recordings.
As before the soloist is Christopher Hinterhuber, though
this time the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra has been replaced
by the Gävle Symphony Orchestra. The conductor remains
Uwe Grodd.
The
Swedish
National Airs with Variations opens with austere
orchestral grandeur and then opens out into a rhapsodic
dialogue between piano and accompanying, strongly subservient
forces. The whole thing is attractively spun, full of
rhythmic zest and alternating expressive sections – and
plenty of dance rhythms. There are limited, though pregnant,
opportunities for orchestral solos – and there’s a witty
pay off to end the quarter of an hour variations.
A
much later work is the
Introduction and Polonaise.
It’s altogether more genteel than the Variations in its
opening Introduction before the gradual lead-in to the
Polonaise. Ries uses the orchestral tuttis well here – they’re
not simply Corinthian columns to support the superstructure – and
the Polonaise, whilst hardly especially authentic, has
a pleasurable albeit cosmopolitan profile. Not only are
the tuttis accomplished but also the transitions, which
could have been too paragraphical in other hands, are equally
well done.
But
it’s the 1812-13 C sharp minor that will invariably be
the primary focus of interest. This was written at around
the same time as the
Swedish Variations. Opening
with orchestral touches that reflect his Beethovenian lineage – especially
in the brass writing – Ries manages to accumulate and dissipate
tension deftly. The piano enters
in media res and
is offered plenty of exciting, scalar and virtuosic writing
as well as a deal of toughly lyric things as well. The
emergence of the lovely first movement theme over tremolo
strings is an inspired piece of work. The slow movement
has delicacy as well as more florid moments and the finale
is packed with verve and virtuoso flourishes.
All
these challenges are met square on by these forces, well
recorded in Gävle Concert Hall back in January 2006. An
endorsement of this second volume is easy to make, given
the all round excellence of the package.
Jonathan
Woolf
see also review of this volume by Tim
Perry
Christopher
Hinterhuber (piano) 
