The name Karel Reiner (1910–1979) may be little known today – unjustly so. The Czech composer and pianist left behind a diverse oeuvre, whose solo piano works are now available in their entirety on one recording for the first time, including numerous first recordings, masterfully interpreted by Moritz Ernst.

Reiner's music exudes a joy of experimentation, virtuosity and expressiveness. Even as a young man, he combined dance rhythms, jazzy echoes and modal sound language with avant-garde ideas, influenced by his teachers Alois Hába and Josef Suk. His three piano sonatas, from the athematic-atonal no.1 (1931) to the expressive "Victory Sonata" no.2 (1940) and the politically engaged no.3 (1961), are milestones of Czech modernism. In between, he composed humorous miniatures such as Minda-Minda, demanding cycles such as the Tři skladby pro klavír (Three Compositions for piano, 1965) and late pieces such as the radically modern Zárodky pro klavír (Germs for Piano, 1974).

Reiner's biography is inextricably linked to the history of the 20th century: as a Jew banned from performing in the "Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia", he survived deportation, Auschwitz and the death march. After 1945, he shaped the musical life of Czechoslovakia, but after the "Prague Spring" he came under the scrutiny of the censors. Despite performance bans, he remained artistically unbroken until the end.

This complete recording is not only a rediscovery, but also a tribute to an exceptional musician who always demanded the utmost from his instrument – technically, tonally and emotionally. The spectrum ranges from sharp-edged avant-garde to subtle sound painting, from playful wit to profound seriousness.

Those who immerse themselves in Reiner's sound worlds will discover a composer who was often ahead of his time – and whose music sounds more relevant today than ever before.