The Piano Concerto No. 8 in A-flat major, Op. 151 "Gruss an den Rhein", by Ferdinand Ries was composed around 1826 and published in 1829 by Simrock. While still showing the structural influence of Beethoven's piano concertos, the writing for the piano is more akin to that of later composers such as Chopin, Mendelssohn & Schumann.
Ries composed this work in 1826, some two years after his return from England and approximately two years after the publication of the last of his early piano concerti (Opp. 123 & 132). Allan Badley comments that this would most likely make it the seventh of Ries's eight piano concertos to be written. As he was no longer an active concert pianist publication by N. Simrock, bearing a dedication to Godefroi Weber followed within a year.
The concerto follows the traditional three-movement structure:
A typical performance of the work lasts around 28 to 30 minutes.
Notable recordings of this composition include:
| Pianist | Conductor | Orchestra | Record Company | Year of Recording | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Hinterhuber | Uwe Grodd | New Zealand Symphony Orchestra | Naxos | 2005 | CD | |
| Piers Lane | Leon Botstein | The Orchestra Now | Hyperion | 2018 | CD |