Soon after his severe breakdown, in February 1914, Reger embarked on a series of works for solo cello, a process of ‘musical chastity’, as he put it, designed to focus his resources. The three Solo Suites share a profound affinity with those of Bach but illustrate Reger’s concern for gravity and intensity rather than a preoccupation with dance patterns. These deeply moving works achieve a spiritual depth and a technical complexity that have elevated them to be amongst the most important such works written in the twentieth century. The German cellist Ulrich Horn has played with the Berlin Philharmonic and served as principal cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian State Opera. He has won several awards and performed as a soloist with orchestras in Asia and Europe.