Symphony No. 6 is another story altogether, as by 1822 Ries had broken free of his earlier style and began to move in his own direction. The Sixth is a dramatic, harmonically rich work reminiscent of Weber, Mendelssohn, and Schumann, though at times the music's high-romantic styling and mode of expression seem to point to early Wagner (especially in the first movement) or even Bruckner (the heavy-treading scherzo and the serenely beautiful larghetto). Howard Griffiths' lively conducting and the committed and enthusiastic playing of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra make a strong case for these intriguing symphonies, while CPO's spacious, dynamic, and detailed recording makes this disc easily recommendable.