Max Reger’s E minor and C minor violin sonatas are his largest in the genre (each lasts more than 35 minutes) and, as the saying goes, they are tough nuts to crack. Nevertheless, several contenders have admirably risen to their challenges on CD. For solid ensemble values and plenty of sustaining power to sail through the outer movements’ imposing climaxes, violinist Nachum Erlich and pianist Siegfried Mauser are beyond cavil. Some listeners, including myself, will prefer the flexibility, breathing room, and more varied textures violinist Ulf Wallin and pianist Roland Pöntinen bring to Op. 139, with shapelier and less foursquare results all around. My other quibble concerns Erlich’s unwillingness to vary his tone and play as softly as Reger requests in Op. 122’s last two movements, whereas Hansheinz Schneeberger’s more three-dimensional sonority perfectly addresses the music’s tender qualities. If you can locate the latter’s Op. 122 and Op. 139 coupling on Jecklin, grab it. Or if your interest principally lies with the C minor sonata, Wallin and Pöntinen on CPO remain first choice.
