*** “BEETHOVEN AND HIS PUPILS: Piano Music by Beethoven, Ferdinand Ries and Archduke Rudolph” Susan Kagan, piano,<i> Koch</i>

Two of Beethoven’s students, Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838) and Archduke Rudolph (1788-1831), the dedicatee of the “Missa Solemnis” as well as the “Archduke” Trio, are here represented by engaging and showy works of medium length displaying the master’s musical as well as technical influences. Ries’ fantasy “Le Songe,” proves charming; Archduke Rudolph’s “Forty Variations on a Theme by Beethoven” uses an unpromising theme with some imagination, and to virtuosic ends. Skillful and articulate, pianist Kagan plays both pieces, as well as Beethoven’s quirky 11 Bagatelles, Opus 119, handsomely.