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CD reviews
Ferdinand RIES (1784 - 1838): Flute Quartets
[I] "Flute Quartets Vol. 1"
Ardinghello Ensemble
rec: July 10 - 12, 2015, Nordweil i. B.
CPO - 555 051-2 (© 2016) (72'09")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
Quartet for transverse flute, violin, viola and cello in C, op. 145,1;
Quartet for transverse flute, violin, viola and cello in d minor (WoO 35,1);
Trio for violin, viola and cello in E flat (WoO 70,1)
Karl Kaiser, transverse flute;
Annette Rehberger, violin;
Sebastian Wohlfahrt, viola;
Gesie Queyras, cello
[II] "Flute Quartets Vol. 2"
Ardinghello Ensemble
rec: Oct 10 - 11, 2017 & Jan 28, 2018, Nordweil i. B., Kirche St. Barbara
CPO - 555 231-2 (© 2019) (58'24")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
Quartet for transverse flute, violin, viola and cello in e minor, op. 145,2;
Quartet for transverse flute, violin, viola and cello in g minor (WoO 35,2);
Trio for violin, viola and cello in e minor (WoO 70,2)
Karl Kaiser, transverse flute;
Annette Rehberger, violin;
Sebastian Wohlfahrt, viola;
Ursula Kaiser, cello
Source:
Trois Quatuors pour Flūte Violon Alto et Violoncelle, op. 145, 1826
Scores
Since the first decades of the 18th century, the transverse flute developed into one of the most popular instruments, especially among amateurs. This explains why composers who mainly composed for such music lovers, wrote large numbers of pieces for the flute, or with substantial flute parts. The best-known example is Georg Philipp Telemann. This popularity lasted until the early 19th century. In the first half of the 18th century, the main genres were solo and trio sonatas, and some composers included it in quartets, always with a basso continuo part. In the second half it was in particular the quartet for flute and strings that was in demand. From that perspective, it is rather remarkable that the three great composers of the classical era, who are generally associated with Vienna, did not give the flute that much attention.
Mozart composed a few flute concertos, one of which is a transcription of an oboe concerto, and four quartets for flute and strings. However, his distaste for the flute is well documented. The catalogue of works by Haydn includes a flute concerto, which is now attributed to Leopold Hoffmann. It is known that Haydn did compose a flute concerto, but that is lost. Beethoven hardly wrote any music for the flute; the only substantial work with flute is the Serenade in D, op. 25, in which the flute is joined by violin and viola. The largest part of the repertoire with flute from the decades around 1800 is written by composers who today are largely in the shadow of the three masters just mentioned. It is thanks to adventurous performers, in particular from the realm of historical performance practice, that such pieces are performed and recorded.
One of the composers who wrote a great deal of music for the flute was Ferdinand Ries. He was born in Bonn, and learned to play the pianoforte, the violin and the cello. In 1801 he settled in Vienna, where he became a pupil of Beethoven, for whom he also acted as his secretary and copyist. This resulted in his being associated with Beethoven afterwards, and apparently he found it difficult to come out of his mentor's shadow. Bert Hagels, in the liner-notes to the first of the two discs under review here, suggests that at least the first set of quartets for flute and strings was Ries's attempt to go his own way in music and set himself free from Beethoven's influence. This genre was a suitable way to achieve that, as Beethoven had never written such works.
It is notable that Ries started to write for the flute after he had settled in London in 1813. He would stay there for the next fourteen years. He enjoyed the protection of his countryman, the violinist and impresario Johann Peter Salomon, who played such a crucial role in Haydn's London sojourns. He composed orchestral music and keyboard works; part of the latter was educational material. He also wrote music for unusual combinations of instruments, such as a sextet for pianoforte, harp, three winds and double bass. In 1814/15 Ries composed three quartets for flute, violin, viola and cello, which were printed only in 1826 as his Op. 145; at that time he lived in Germany again. In the next years he composed three further quartets of this scoring, but he could not find a publisher for these pieces. This may well have been due to the fading popularity of the flute. Karl Kaiser, in his liner-notes to the second disc, suggests that this was the result of the growing interest of composers for the clarinet; apparently, this instrument better suited the aesthetic ideals of Romanticism.
The present two discs are part of a three-disc project, which covers Ries's complete output for this combination of instruments. Because of the difference in character between the flute and the strings, the former inevitably distinguishes itself from the latter. However, the strings are not reduced to the role of accompaniment. They don't belong among the genre of the quartetto concertante, in which one of the instruments plays the leading role. Ries basically treats the four instruments on equal footing. Now and then one of the strings also is given the opportunity to shine.
The Quartets Op. 145 seem to adhere to a kind of concept, according to Hagels: "[If] the first is a grand and imposing work in the affirmative key of C major, the second, in the minor mode with an archaic minuet, forms its elegiac opposite, and the third, which reverses the placement of scherzo and slow movement, is a more lightweight conclusion to counterbalance the first." The first quartet of the set closes with an allegro all'espagnola. In those days, it was fashionable to portray (real or imaginary) features of nations in music. It has the form of a rondo, just like the last movement of the second quartet.
The second group of three quartets (WoO 135) also follows a concept, expressed in the sequence of keys. "The first quartet in D minor is a large-scale, rather dark and momentous piece, almost like a symphony for four musicians. The third quartet in A minor shimmers in its construction between romantic cantabile and classical lightness. In contrast, the second quartet featured on this CD in G major WoO 35 No. 2 is a fantastic excursion to a world of expression and forms, adding a new dimension to the tradition of flute quartets" (Karl Kaiser). The Quartet in G includes elements which suggest a reference to the world of ghosts, which exerted such an attraction on composers of the romantic era.
On both discs, the flute quartets are separated by trios for violin, viola and cello. Ries only composed two such trios (WoO 70). There is no information about their time of composition, but Hagels assumes they belong to Ries's early works, written at the latest during his years in Vienna. This may well explain why they are a bit old-fashioned, in particular in the dominant role of counterpoint. In the second trio, the virtuosity of the violin part deserves special mention. Considering that the repertoire for this scoring is rather limited, the importance of these two trios can hardly be overstated.
They are of such quality that it is to be hoped that they will be elevated to the standard repertoire. The same goes for the flute quartets which are nice alternatives to the four quartets by Mozart, which are available in quite a number of recordings. Because of their quality and their length, they are substantial additions of the repertoire for this attractive combination of instruments. The Ardinghello Ensemble is the best possible advocate for these pieces. It produces a nice sound, but also explores the contrasts and various moods within these pieces. Cheerfulness and light-heartedness on the one hand, seriousness and sadness on the other alternate, now and then pervaded with dramatic features.
Lastly, a word about the booklets. CPO discs with music of the early 19th century are mostly accompanied by booklets which include thorough analyses of the recorded works by Bert Hagels. He goes into details, with references to the timings where a subject or countersubject begins. I can't imagine that the common music-lover is listening to the music with an eye on his CD player to follow these analyses. This seems to me more appropriate for a scholarly journal than for a commercial disc. The second disc has more general liner-notes by Karl Kaiser, which for most music lovers are much more useful.
Johan van Veen (© 2021)
Relevant links:
Ardinghello Ensemble