Consortium Classicum - Ries, Czerny, Lichnowsky & Ferdinand: Chamber Works (2001)

This affordable CD contains works by four pianist/composers who all knew and admired Beethoven. Except for the von Lichnowsky Variations, each of the included works is scored for a piano and a medium sized collection of instruments (two octets and one nonet), resulting in a texture somewhere between a piano trio and a concerto. The piano is featured in all the compositions, much like Beethoven's Septet. The recording has minimal reverberation, giving the disc the overall impression of a chamber recital.

Beethoven's style is obviously reflected in each of these works, but they are remarkably well-crafted as well. Each of them reflects an awareness of Beethoven's music (the opening theme of the Ries is practically a reworking of the introduction to the Emperor Concerto), they also exhibit fresh musical ideas and creative orchestration, with skillful use of the various wind and stringed instruments.

The compositions are given worthy, rehearsed performances by Dieter Klocker's Consortium Classicum, an ensemble dedicated to the late classical period. Each instrument is given opportunities to shine, and each redeems itself admirably. The ensemble's cohesiveness is particularly apparent in the precise tutti entrances in the slow movements.

One of the pleasures of studying classical music is to discover new compositions, even new composers, and quality performances. This CD provides an excellent opportunity to explore a generation of lesser-known but highly skilled composers, and hear how Beethoven shaped their craft.