This new recording from Trio Parnassus presents the world premiere recording of the three piano trios that Ries made after Beethoven's String Trios op. 9 and which Beethoven's enterprising publisher Simrock immediately sold as his opus no. 61. Hardly anyone was as closely associated with Beethoven as Ferdinand Ries. His parents took the young Beethoven under their wing after his mother's death; Ferdinand himself later became Beethoven's pupil and private secretary in Vienna. These arrangements were common - and Ries mastered his craft as virtuosically as he was familiar with his teacher's tonal language. Nevertheless, Beethoven must have been surprised by the publication - after all, no one had asked him about it before. Ries understood how to preserve the character of the originals in the transfer to the piano trio and at the same time find Beethoven's tone for the new version. The violin part remains almost unchanged; the cello takes over the part of the viola, while the left hand of the piano takes care of the basses. Since Ries also provided Beethoven's publishing correspondence, the path to publication was only a few lines of letters long. Today, the trios are correctly assigned to Beethoven's Opus No. 9 (No. 61 belongs to the famous Violin Concerto). Trio Parnassus approaches these delightful additions to the repertoire with the necessary respect and joy in playing. Luxuriously presented as a Super Audio CD, this high quality new production should convince even the most critical Beethoven admirers!
