Search - Max Reger, Roland Pöntinen :: Max Reger: Violin Sonatas, Opp. 72 & 103 B,2

REGER's Great C-major Sonata of 1903...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 08/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Volume IV of Ulf Wallin/Roland Pöntinen's traversal of Reger's complete violin Sonatas (with Di Chirico cover-art) features the great C-major Sonata (Op. 72) of 1903. The artists give the work a fully-breathed reading, coming in at nearly :35mins. The Sonata is typical of Reger's usual game: an highly pressurized, percussive, explosive initial movement; a grimly humourous scherzo; an expanded, deeply-felt largo--(for his slow movements, Reger usually preferred the ultra-slow largo over the more commonly relaxed adagio or andante); and a conclusive allegro.



The other Sonata on this disc is what Reger termed "hausmusik," although it runs over :20mins; in A-major (Op. 103b, No. 2) of 1909. A Tarantella and Albumblatt round out this satisfactory session, although disc comes in a little short at just over 1 hr. Perhaps one hour is just enough of the hectoring Reger at one stitting...



The splendid Wallin/Pöntinen Duo have produced other fine recordings of Goldmark Goldmark: Complete Works For Violin & Piano, Vol.1 Karl Goldmark: Complete Works for Violin & Piano, Vol. 2 , Hindemith Paul Hindemith: The Complete Violin Sonatas , Brahms Brahms: Complete Works for Violin & Piano , Saint-Saëns Saint-Saëns: Sonata for Violin & Piano; Triptyque; Elégie , and Schoenberg Schoenberg: Complete Works for Violin & Piano , among others.



Swede Roland Pöntinen is an extremely talented and sensitive pianist who is amassing an excellent collection of solo recordings: Satie E. Satie - R. Pöntinen , Chopin Roland Pöntinen Plays Chopin , Busoni Ferruccio Busoni: Seven Elegies; Piano Works , Berg and Schoenberg Pöntinen Plays Schoenberg & Berg , among others.

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