FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN concert pieces and etudes, Max Reger’s Three Suites for Solo Viola (1915) are some of the fi rst major solo works for the instrument. After fi nishing the Preludes and Fugues for Solo Violin op.131a and the Cello Suites op.131c, Reger clearly intended the viola suites to complete a small cycle of representative works for all three instruments, highlighting their individual sound qualities. The suites are dedicated, in numerical order, to Reger’s close friend Heinrich Walther, conductor and violin virtuoso Richard Sahla, and violinist Joseph Hösl, a gifted violinist who advised Reger in matters of string playing. A fourth suite was due to be dedicated to Karl Doktor, the violist of the Busch Quartet, but Reger’s death in 1916 left this plan unfulfi lled. In the early 20th century many composers tried to push the boundaries and search for a way out of the cul-de-sac of traditional expression. It was Schoenberg who fi nally dared to create another tonal system that opened new windows of artistic endeavour. The creative revolution extended not just to harmonic expression but also to the musical markings on the page: Liszt, Mahler, Schoenberg and Reger were among those who loaded their scores with unprecedented numbers of tempo variations and dynamics. Reger even marked all his dynamics in red ink, as well all bowings, tempos, and even fl ageolets, whether in a solo piece or an enormous orchestral score. His attention to detail in these matters is one of the most important points to bear in mind when studying the Three Suites.