Max Reger: Suite for Viola Solo Op. 131d, No. 1
Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Viola Solo (1937)
Max Reger: Suite for Viola Solo Op. 131d, No. 2
Alfred Pochon: Passacaglia pour Alto seul
Max Reger: Suite for Viola Solo Op. 131d, No. 3
Igor Stravinsky: Elegy for Viola Solo

"Christian Euler dares to do what not many dare to do: he performs an entire hour of music for viola solo, without accompaniment." {MDG}

With the exception of the pipe organ or piano, where the harmonic combinations of notes are endless, extensive dynamic range, and the colors or moods of different modes or keys are readily apparent and effective, playing a solo musical instrument on stage or in a recording over an extended period of time can quickly become an exercise in "monotony". Unless of course, like Christian Euler, you know how to pick and choose works by composers aware of both an instrument's potential as well as its limitations, and who wrote music well suited for it.

Max Reger (1873-1916) for example, who devoted a great part of his life to the study and dissemination of Johann Sebastian Bach's music (some of Reger's organ works are built on intricately complex counterpoint), wrote the Three Suites for Viola Solo Op. 131d along with the Preludes and Fugues for Solo Violin Op. 131a and the Three Suites for Solo Cello Op. 131c during the final year of his life, most likely to emulate Bach's own Suites for solo instruments. They are so well conceived, harmonically speaking, that even in the longest single-note passages, you can audibly perceive in your mind's ear, its logical or suitable counterpoint. On the other hand, Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) points the viola, the instrument he himself had mastered, towards the future. Harmonically elastic and expressively volatile, it seems more preoccupied with the viola's sonic character than with musical structure. At times it sounds highly improvisational, like a rock guitarist launching into an extended solo, technical challenges and all. Alfred Pochon (1878-1959), was a Swiss violinist and composer who lived for many years in the United States. He was a violinist of the first order, and founded his own string quartet, the Flonzaley Quartet, early in life and eventually went on to become the Director of the Lausanne Conservatory in 1941. There seem to be extant recordings from the 1920s of his quartet, but I can't track down any other recordings of his own music, so this may be the premiere recording of his 1942 Passacaglia pour Alto seul, another piece using the musical genius of Bach as a stencil. As its title implies, the short Elegy for Viola Solo by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) explores the darker hues and tone colors of the instrument. Conservative and diffident for Stravinsky, it still leaves behind a haunting impression.

Christian Euler lends each and every piece its own distinctive, authentic voice. He can magnify the Hindemith idiosyncrasies just as well as he reinforces Reger's respect for the past. To add to the opening statement: "he performs an entire hour of music for viola solo, without causing any signs of ear fatigue". Recommended!