CPO’s series of Ries symphonies comes to a close with these two conventional but attractive works. Although cast in a minor key, don’t expect Beethoven’s sense of drama in Symphony No. 7. Ries’ use of the mode is more like Mendelssohn’s: it’s a bit of spice rather than a portent of any special emotional depth. Symphony No. 8’s brief Andante even evokes memories of Mozart, and both works really do sound as though they straddle two eras, with classical forms and gestures mixing freely with proto-Romantic elements of the nascent “Leipzig” school. Like all of the symphonies in this series, these are charming if not hugely memorable in this particular case, and at the conclusion of both works it can’t help but raise a smile to hear Ries attempt big, Beethoven-style endings to movements that hardly deserve them.
Howard Griffiths delivers lively interpretations with tight rhythms and a wide dynamic range, though I have to wonder if the music would have sounded a bit more substantial given a larger string section (if you have a chance to listen to those grand wind-ups, you’ll immediately hear what I’m talking about). In stereo these performances reproduce very well, but the multichannel sound is unacceptable, with all four speakers sounding almost like equal participants in the proceedings. Surround-sound does not mean “the orchestra plays in a circle with you in the center”. Still, this represents an artistically fine conclusion to a worthy and (performance-wise) very consistent series. Collectors following its progress shouldn’t hesitate for a minute.
