Ferdinand Ries - Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Minor, WoO 35. Part 1 - ( 1814 - 1816 )

Ferdinand Ries: Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Minor, WoO 35 ( Summary & History ) Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) composed his Flute Quartet in D Minor, WoO 35—the only one of his three surviving flute quartets not included in the published Op. 145 set—during his London decade (1813–1823), most likely circa 1814–1816. Unlike the six Op. 145 quartets issued by Clementi & Co. in 1820, WoO 35 remained unpublished during Ries’s lifetime and surfaced only in the 20th century, earning its “Werke ohne Opuszahl” designation in Cecil Hill’s 1977 thematic catalogue. The manuscript, preserved in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Mus.ms. 19189), bears no dedication or date, but stylistic markers align it with Ries’s early London output. The work predates the sunnier Op. 145 set; its brooding D-minor tonality, stormy gestures, and dramatic contrasts reflect the composer’s assimilation of Beethoven’s middle-period intensity while catering to London’s taste for virtuosic flute writing. Scored for flute, violin, viola, and cello, the quartet unfolds in three movements—a compact, intense cycle lasting about 17 minutes. It opens with a Allegro agitato in sonata form. A unison D-minor fortissimo outburst (shared by all four instruments) launches a restless first theme of dotted rhythms and wide leaps. The flute soon claims center stage with sweeping arpeggios and chromatic runs, answered by terse string motifs. The second subject, in F major, offers brief lyric respite—a singing flute melody over pizzicato cello—but tension quickly returns. The development drives into remote keys (B-flat minor, G minor) via stretto imitation and a furious flute cadenza-like passage before a terse recapitulation and coda in D minor. The central Adagio (B-flat major, 3/4) is the emotional core. Marked cantabile, the flute intones a noble, aria-like theme ornamented with trills and grace notes, supported by muted strings in gentle rocking triplets. A turbulent middle section in G minor—featuring tremolo strings and flute scalar bursts—recalls Beethoven’s “Pathétique” slow movement. The da capo reprise fades to a hushed pianissimo, the flute’s final phrase dissolving into silence. The finale, Allegro molto, erupts in D minor with a tarantella-like 6/8 rhythm. The flute leads a whirlwind rondo theme built on staccato eighth-notes and chromatic descents. Episodes alternate virtuosic flute passagework (double-tongued triplets, octave leaps) with string pizzicati and imitative entries. A sudden Adagio interlude in D major offers a single moment of serenity before the presto coda barrels to a defiant D-minor close. WoO 35 stands apart from the Op. 145 quartets in its Beethovenian drama and technical demands. The flute part requires advanced articulation and dynamic control—Ries likely wrote for a professional London flutist, possibly Andrew Ashe (principal flute at the Philharmonic Society) or a pupil. The strings, while subordinate, execute rapid passagework and exposed pizzicato with precision. The quartet’s rediscovery began in the 1970s. German flutist Klaus Holle prepared the first modern edition (1980s, unpublished), followed by Edition Silvertrust (2007) and a critical score by Robert Platt (Artaria Editions, 2019). The Arcadia Quartet with flutist Susan T. Hoeppner recorded it in 1996 (Dutton Epoch), the first commercial release. Performances remain rare but are prized for the work’s intensity and historical significance. WoO 35 is Ries’s darkest, most ambitious flute quartet—a stormy London sketch bridging his Viennese training and the polished salon style of Op. 145. It rewards ensembles seeking early Romantic fire within Classical restraint.