Introduction and Polonaise, Op. 119

Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) was a prominent German composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He is historically significant not only for his extensive musical output but also as a student, friend, and biographer of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Born in Bonn, Germany in a musical family. His father, Franz Ries, was a violinist in the Bonn court orchestra and a friend of Beethoven's father. Ries studied violin with his father, cello with Bernhard Romberg, and composition with Ferdinand Hiller. In 1801, he traveled to Vienna to study piano and composition with Beethoven, who was a strict but generous mentor. Beethoven held Ries in high regard and provided him with support and introductions throughout his life.
Ries spent a highly successful decade in London (1813–1824), which was the peak of his career. He became a director of the London Philharmonic Society and established himself as a celebrated piano virtuoso and a fashionable composer. During this period, he became financially independent by catering to the popular demand for chamber music and a brilliant, virtuosic performance style.
Ries returned to Germany in 1824 and settled in Frankfurt am Main, working as a composer and conductor. He also collaborated with Franz Gerhard Wegeler on an important set of biographical notes about Beethoven, Biographische Notizen über Ludwig van Beethoven (1838).
His musical style serves as a bridge between the Classical structure of Beethoven and the expressive, Romantic lyricism of composers like Schumann and Mendelssohn.
Ries was an incredibly prolific composer, producing a large catalog of over 180 published works across virtually every genre: eight symphonies, numerous concertos (for violin, piano, and other instruments), chamber music, and operas.