FERDINAND RIES (1784-1838): Piano Sonatas and Sonatinas, Vol. 4 - Sonatas in D, Op. 9/1 & in A Flat, Op. 141.

Description: Early and late here: the D major sonata comes from 1808 with a martial first movement but with a lyrical codetta, a sombre minuet and trio as a slow movement and a buoyant theme-and-variations finale; the A Flat (1826), written for a piano with much greater range, has many of the elements of Romanticism - dramatic dynamic contrasts, changes in tempo and mood, harmonic shifts and ornate figuration. Susan Kagan (piano).