Ries: 3 Violin Sonatas

Ferdinand Ries was without doubt one of the most prolific composers and most significant figures in the musical life of the early to mid-19th century. In our time, he is known above all as one of Beethoven's few students, and though we cannot be sure that Beethoven ever uttered the famous sentence 'He imitates me too much', the towering figure of Beethoven certainly does cast its shadow over Ries's wonderful œuvre. Though it's true that Ries's musical language owes much to that of Beethoven, with the gift of hindsight we can now fully appreciate the originality of the Ries's style.

Although Ries did compose several oratorios and operas, today we see his music more as an important stage in the development of German absolute music, a key link in the progression from C.P.E. Bach, Haydn and Beethoven, through to Brahms and Bruckner.