The works on these discs fall into three broad categories:
short character pieces (many of them transcriptions), long,
involved sonatas, and suites for solo cello. There is a certain
unity of intent that unites all of Reger's work, but the overriding
impression here is of contrast between the three groups. The
short pieces are elegant and lyrical, light but never trivial.
The sonatas, in contrast, are archetypal Reger; they are heavy,
densely textured and, provided you are into Reger, among his
most profound and deeply felt works. The solo cello suites balance
this late Romantic existential angst with the economical style
of Bach. On paper this might seem like a paradoxical combination,
but in practise it turns out to be a very practical approach.
If the short works that begin the first disc seem surprisingly
lyrical for Reger, that is because most are arrangements of
his Op.76 set of lieder. We are very much in Brahms territory
here, and like Brahms, Reger has no qualms about simplifying
his harmonic style as the situation requires. Personally, I'm
more a fan of Reger's heavier work, but this first half a disc
or so provides a gentle introduction to the more meaty fare
ahead. The playing is beautiful, and the lighter textures give
both players a chance to really shine. Much of this music employs
the higher register of the cello with just simple piano accompaniments
beneath. The elegance of Alexandre Kniazev's tone in the upper
register is the key factor in the success of these works, and
his almost vocal sense of phrasing really helps to articulate
the form of these short movements.
About half way through the first disc we meet the first of Reger's
Cello Sonatas and immediately we are plunged into a darker and
more troubled musical world. I'll confess that these works take
some getting used to, but they repay, and deserve, repeated
listening. They are psychologically turbulent in a way that
many of Reger's German-speaking contemporaries - and I'm thinking
particularly of the Second Viennese School - aimed for but only
occasionally achieved. There are many moments of brief repose
from the swirling textures, but these only emphasise the complexity
and trauma of the surrounding music. The four sonatas span Reger's
short creative career, the first has Op. 5 the last Op. 116,
and they can really be heard as a progression. Intense drama
is present from the first note of the First Sonata, but it isn't
until the Third and Fourth Sonatas that Reger's approach to
the genre crystallises.
Kniazev and Oganessian give excellent readings of these works.
Almost every movement of each of the sonatas is long and complex,
and for an interpretation to be a success, the players must
immerse themselves and their audience into the sound-worlds,
which is exactly what happens. Most of the tempos are on the
slow side, which may be in an attempt to provide clarity to
the dense textures in the piano part, although that is surely
a futile aim. As with the shorter pieces earlier on, the structural
shape is always secured by Kniazev's thoughtful and expansive
approach to the phasing. And however much the players try to
elucidate Reger's textures, there are always going to be passages
where chaos reins. Unlike in the shorter works, Reger rarely
separates the cello out by writing in its higher register. So
it is often the case that dense, harmonically ambitious, contrapuntal
textures in the piano run in parallel to mid or low range writing
in the cello. To the players' credit, they don't try to fight
it, and the gloomy, muddy textures that result have their own
kind of inexplicable beauty.
If all that sounds a bit masochistic, relief comes in the form
of some truly beautiful slow movements. They are not all exempt
from Reger's megalomaniac tendencies. In fact, they work best
when they are at their most involved. For me, the highlight
of this set is the largo third movement to the Op.116 Sonata.
Here we have long, heartfelt melodies, played out over harmonically
complex but texturally straightforward piano textures. Again,
the performers take it slow, but their aim here is atmosphere
rather than clarity. It comes in at almost 14 minutes, quite
a contrast to the Gerhard Mantel/Erika Frieser recording of
1972 (Da Capo 77 503 – dreadful, avoid at all costs) which clocks
in at 9 minutes. At this slower pace, Reger's many moments of
repose have a dreamy, transcendental quality that really elevates
proceedings.
There is little, if any, transcendence in the Cello Suites Op.131c.
The model here is Bach, but the relationship with Bach's Cello
Suites is complex. Reger occasionally veers towards outright
pastiche or even quotation, but the music always remains distinctively
Reger. Even with just one player, he still manages a sense of
density, of expression rather than texture. The music could
easily become leaden in lesser hands, but Kniazev really knows
how to bring it to life. His technique is very 'Russian' in
the sense that he creates an almost tactile quality to his sound.
Everything is very definite, yet there is plenty of subtly,
variation and nuance too. I doubt he would play Bach like this,
or at least Bach's Cello Suites could struggle under the intensity
of this approach. Not Reger though, he is able to withstand
this intensity and focused concentration. The Romantic reading
highlights the stylistic distance between Reger and Bach, although
the Bachian figurations still make the composer's allegiances
clear.
On the whole, the sound quality is very good. I noticed one
instance of peak distortion, on the last note of the Caprice
in A minor. There is also some extraneous noise on the third
disc, which may be Kniazev breathing. The textures on the second
disc (Sonatas Three and Four) are more congested than elsewhere,
but that is as much Reger's fault as anybody else's. I'm sure
there are other ways of recording this music, using the technology
to force a sense of clarity onto the music's complex, tangled
webs. But by not doing so, the recording feels truer to Reger's
often convoluted intentions, for better or worse.
The packaging is very stylish, and there is a funky abstract
design printed on the front of each of the discs. The liner-notes
are informative, but it is clear that the three discs have previously
been released individually, and that the notes have since been
crudely conflated.
This is a highly commendable set, thanks mainly to the sheer
quality of the cello playing. But while I welcome it on its
own considerable merits, it is probably worth bearing in mind
the competition. In recent years, the Sonatas have been recorded
by Alban Gerhard and Markus Becker (Hyperion CDA67581/2) while
the Suites have been tackled by Peter Wispelwey (Channel Classics
CCS9596). Both have received glowing reviews, which given the
usual prejudices in the English-speaking world towards the composer
is no small achievement. This release will, I suspect, undercut
both of those in terms of price, so that may count in its favour.
What a luxury though for Reger fans to be offered a choice of
such fine performers for this hitherto scandalously neglected
music!
Gavin Dixon
Alexandre Kniazev (cello) 
