Reger, solo violin

December 29, 2024, 7:06 PM · About 30 years ago, I bought two CDs of the complete sonatas for solo violin by Max Reger and played by Ulrike-Anima Mathé. I loved them! I purchased the sheet music and worked on a few of them but never played them in public. Perhaps I should dust them off and revisit them. I don't understand why they don't get more attention. They are largely forgotten. Thank you, Stephen, for raising awareness of these solo works by Reger!

Edited: December 30, 2024, 10:08 AM · He also wrote some very nice sonatas for solo viola which I have looked at. They are not easy.

December 31, 2024, 9:58 AM · I looked at page 1 of sonata 1. Yikes. Too hard for me.

December 31, 2024, 4:13 PM · The Reger solo viola works should be staples in repertoire if they aren't already.
Closest we can get to Ysaye probably, other than the transcriprion of his cello sonata

Edited: January 7, 2025, 4:07 PM · I have not formally learned any of his sonatas, but I am giving some of his preludes and fugues a go. Very nice writing and a bit less difficult than the sonatas. I am currently working on op. 131a no 5, which is very joyous with a lot of storytelling. I find some of his fugues to actually be a bit easier than the other movements.

If you haven't already, I highly suggest listening to Ulf Wallin's recording of op. 42: they are gorgeously executed and made me fall in love with Reger's solo violin music and put me on my lifelong quest to learn more solo music in general.

January 7, 2025, 3:48 PM · If you are looking for some less difficult solo violin music, I would also suggest Julius Röntgen's sonatas and suites for violin. I am learning the first suite now, which has a very Bach-like fugue but is a bit easier than Reger's fugues. There is a CD by Oliver Kipp featuring these works: https://open.spotify.com/album/5trViPmN8h57sUeYDJ8JjD

For a bit of a self-plug, I have also compiled a big playlist of some of my favorite unaccompanied works, which you can find here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6UAAO4Afwr7IMNl8JO20pk?si=g3fZGAqwQBKXUajG_VH7WA

January 8, 2025, 9:14 PM · Oliver,
Thanks so much for the recommendation of the Reger Op. 42 sonatas; very nice music! Reger wrote so much music, it's hard to know where to start sometimes.

And your Spotify list is certainly something! Lots of pieces there I haven't run into, so now I have more to listen to and learn. -)

January 9, 2025, 12:11 AM · Larry, thanks for checking the playlist out! It is definitely a behemoth: I don't think I myself have listened in one go unless I'm chipping away at a deadline and need to focus for a while, haha. There's probably even some pieces and composers I've overlooked or have forgotten to add.

The Reger op. 42 are some of my favorite pieces, period, especially the last sonata. I'm not sure when I could give them justice as a performer, though the 2nd sonata seems the least difficult of the bunch. I think I understand them a bit better than the op. 91, in part due to Ulf Wallin's excellent recordings.