1 January 1900

Reger: Choral Music
CDA67762 

‘A wonderful disc this, and a testament to yet another undervalued dimension of the artistry of Max Reger. Very few of the common complaints about Reger's music apply here: the music is consistently inspired, often light, elegant and wholly free from the stodginess that blights so many of his organ works’ (MusicWeb International)
1 January 1900

Reger: Choral Music
CDA67762 

‘Reger's choral music, like so much of his output, is too little known. So Consortium's new disc … is to be warmly welcomed … I found this disc most enjoyable … the recording is of Hyperion's customary excellence, with performances to match’ (Choir & Organ)
1 January 1900

Reger: Choral Music
CDA67762 

‘This disc yields up … secrets too long hidden from the public consciousness. Hyperion deserves a large vote of thanks for bringing both to our attention … [Der Einsiedler] the shifting chromatic sands of this baritone solo, presented with delectable poise by Alexander Learmonth, and its intense accommpaniment, tackled with breathtaking sensitivity by pianist Christopher Glynn … the second secret here is the four-year-old choir, Consortium … their singing is sensitive and technically impressive. Andrew-John Smith draws from them an infinitely subtle dynamic range and some impeccably moulded phrasing which certainly serves Reger uncommonly well. One suspects this repertoire could have found no finer exponents to bring it to public attention’ (Gramophone)
1 January 1900
Classic FM Magazine
Reger: Choral Music
CDA67762 

‘One of those recordings that immediately stops you in your tracks. The performances are fine indeed, but more than anything, it's the music itself that strikes you—it's both utterly unique and breathtakingly beautiful … [The Hermit] the voices slip and slide smoothly through unexpected keys, gently encouraged by a breakaway baritone soloist. It's luxurious, exotic, unusual and so very evocative … [Three Six-Part Songs] it's here that Reger's music starts to move from inherent yearning to palpable despair. To bring that off, you need a choir that isn't just technically accomplished but can also conjure intense drama, and Andrew-John Smith's group is perfectly suited to it. The voices blend well but are never overly polite; this is passionate rather than devotional, and you sense the fine gradations of the composer's emotional intensity … unmissable’ (Classic FM Magazine)
1 January 1900
Hi-Fi News
Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘This is playing such as you seldom hear. First-rate Hyperion recording; boring superlatives, as usual, for this least boring of contemporary keyboard giants’ (Hi-Fi News)
1 January 1900
Classic FM Magazine
Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘I have never heard Reger played with greater imagination or persuasive eloquence. Hamelin seems to command an almost limitless range of keyboard colour. Those who have yet to be won over by Reger's keyboard music should start here’ (Classic FM Magazine)
1 January 1900
Classic CD
Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘I was enthralled’ (Classic CD)
1 January 1900
The Scotsman
Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘An embarrassment of riches. This is absolutely first-rate playing. Quite simply this is a stunning recital’ (The Scotsman)
1 January 1900

Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘This is a marvellous disc’ (BBC Music Magazine)
1 January 1900

Reger: Piano Music
Studio Master: CDA66996  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Others have courageously fought the cause of this complex and neglected repertoire but few, if any, have brought to it such compelling fusion of temperament, intellect, and prodigious pianistic fluency’ (Gramophone)
1 January 1900
Limelight, Australia, Robert Stove
Reger: Songs
Studio Master: CDA68057  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Sophie Bevan has a big timbre which nevertheless encompasses considerable delicacy when needed. Malcolm Martineau is perfectly attuned to Reger’s unrelenting demands’ (Limelight, Australia)» More

1 January 1900

Reger: Violin Concertos
Studio Master: CDA67892  Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available

‘Max Reger (1873-1916) is a composer whose best music rewards the effort taken to absorb it—and so it proves with the Violin Concerto of 1907 … this huge work has a first movement into which more conventionally ‘romantic’ works by Mendelssohn and Bruch could comfortably fit. It therefore makes demands on the stamina of the violinist, not just technically but in taxing their ability to keep the melodic threads running. Tanja Becker-Bender responds to the challenge magnificently, as do Lothar Zagrosek and his Berlin orchestra. This is a warm hearted performance right from the start’ (Classical Source)
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