Cello Sonatas Cello Suites:
Sonata No 1 in F minor Op 5
Suite No 1 in G major Op 131c
Sonata No 2 in G minor Op 28
Suite No 2 in D minor Op 131c
Sonata No 3 in F major Op 78
Suite No 3 in A minor Op 131c
Sonata No 4 in A minor Op 116

Alban Gerhardt’s profound musicality and charisma have made him one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation. His ebullient personality is present in all his performances; he is nevertheless passionately committed to the intentions of the composer, and his recordings are always the product of an intense personal journey into every aspect of the music. Gerhardt’s espousal of Reger’s cello sonatas and suites is thus greatly welcomed. Pianist Markus Becker has released twelve discs of Reger’s keyboard music and is an ideal interpreter. Reger’s cello sonatas and suites demonstrate every facet of this complex composer and individual. The composer’s passionate commitment to German Romanticism and his neo-Classical inspirations are both here: the great influence by Brahms and then the conscious shrugging-off of that mantle in the face of a complex and progressive stylistic advance. The sonatas span the duration of his career and culminate in the late unaccompanied suites, whose ambition to emulate J S Bach is both patent and largely fulfilled. The duo sonatas demand and receive in this recording not only a cellist of unusual powers of empathy and bravura, but also a first-rate pianist. This is fascinating and difficult repertoire, wonderfully performed and recorded.

'Exceptionally rewarding … It would be difficult to find more persuasive advocates than cellist Alban Gerhardt and pianist Markus Becker, both of whom are steeped inside the idiom and know exactly how to present the music with cogency and a sure sense of direction. The Four Cello Sonatas provide a fascinating overview of Reger's musical development, moving from the Brahmsian warmth of the First to the highly expressionist and unsettling Fourth. With the aid of excellent sound, Gerhardt and Becker map out this musical journey with wonderful sensitivity … Hyperion's decision to add to this already challenging progamme the Three Unaccompanied Suites of 1914 is fully vindictated by an outstanding performance which once again demonstrates Gerhardt's formidable control of musical line and breathtaking virtuosity' (BBC Music Magazine)

'This is a stimulating package, very well played: both artists produce the passionate response demanded of them. Alban Gerhardt has a warm, resonant middle register and Markus Becker is well able to undertake the music's considerable virtuosity' (Gramophone)

'This is music that makes huge technical demands on the players, and the performances are all outstanding; this set represents an important act of rehabilitation for music that is almost unknown' (The Guardian)

'It is surprising that the three unaccompanied solo cello suites by Max Reger are not performed more often as an alternative to those of Bach in whose homage they were written. The German cellist Alban Gerhardt brings out their qualities beautifully on this double CD, with their lyrical preludes, profound adagios and witty, effervescent gigues' (The Times)

'Superbly played by these two gifted soloists' (Classic FM Magazine)

'Among the finest cello sonatas since Brahms (and , I mgiht as well add, some of the best solo-cello music since Bach). Another factor is the ferocious difficulty of the instrumental parts … Musicians tackling this repertoire have to have the kind of mutual trust that keeps mountaineers alive. It is, in shoort, a desperately difficult act to bring off, but Alban Gerhardt and Markus Becker do so triumphantly. Technically, their playing is up to all the appalling hurdles Reger sets before them, but their musical judgement, too, is shown to advantage: Reger's sudden surges and abrupt changes of mood are accommodated within the longer sweep of each movement' (International Record Review)

'The playing is outstanding and the two musicians work today beautifully … I can recommend this set highly for both suites and sonatas' (American Record Guide)

[Sonata no 3] 'Gerhardt and Becker are fully caught up in the initial whirlwind, and there is lovely, transparent playing of the second subject from Gerhardt, who employs an intense, focused tone with rapid vibrato for the movement's less peaceful moments. Gerhardt's 1711 Goifriller cello sings out in the Andante con variazioni, especially in the expressive fifth variation... Sonata no 4 is even more original … The impressively rapid pizzicatos of the Presto show Reger capable of humour in spite of his stolid image, and the duo plays the Largo movement with deep feeling and eloquent and tender longing' (The Strad Magazine)

'There are moments of beauty and reflection; moments of songfulness; moments of play, dancing and prancing; and moments of outright vigorous and rambunctious exercise. But even amidst the variety of moods, there is a restfulness about this music. I get the sense that the solo suites were an escape for Reger. And by the time we reach the third suite we are a long way from Bach. I have grown nearly as fond of these suites as I am of the sonatas for solo violin. The musicians are able-Gerhardt strikes me as a fine interpreter of Reger-he has not read too far between lines, as some others might be tempted to do. And the sound seems excellent' (PositiveFeedback.com, USA)

'Anyone daunted by the music of Reger will find an ideal introduction here, for in Alban Gerhardt and Markus Becker the composer finds advocates who know how to bring his qualities to the fore. Reger’s understanding of the cello is captured in vivid recordings that present the sonatas as natural heirs to Brahms, an accurate reflection too of the stature of these performances' (ClassicalSource.com)

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Recording details: April 2007; Hannover Congress Centrum, Germany; Produced by Andrew Keener; Engineered by Simon Eadon; Release date: March 2008;