MAX REGER : Clarinet Quintet · String Sextet (Ensemble Villa Musica) (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This is about as enjoyable a disc of Reger's chamber music as can be imagined. It includes one the Bavarian fin de siècle composer's best-known chamber works, the Clarinet Quintet in A major, along with the relatively familiar String Sextet in F major, a coupling that should ensure the disc's appeal. Just as important to the disc's success, though, are the performances by Ensemble Villa Musica, which are musically incisive, expressively affecting, and as close to lovely as any performances of Reger's music are likely to get. With his dulcet tone and fluent technique, clarinetist Ulf Rodenhäuser turns in an impressive interpretation of the Clarinet Quintet, admirably supported by four of the Ensemble Villa Musica string players. Two of those string players, along with four of the group's other musicians deliver a rugged and insightful account of the String Sextet, with a reading of the Largo con gran expressione that elucidates its lush textures as it clarifies its complex counterpoint. Though these performances may or may not achieve the nearly impossible trick of making Reger's music appealing to broad general audiences -- Brahms' fans may wonder why Reger went so far toward atonality while Schoenberg's fans may wonder why he didn't go further -- Reger devotees will likely be well pleased. Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm's digital sound is amazingly clear, colorful, and immediate. James Leonard     Tracklist + Credits :