Max Reger(1873-1916)

[Mahlerian]

Well, this Reger thread seems to get periodically rejuvenated! 

At the moment, I'm re-evaluating my Max collection, just a dozen and a half CDs - last few days, I've been listening to the ones below - enjoy all of these works, although the Mozart/Hiller Naxos recording has received some 'bad press' (several reviews attached) - I'd probably do at least 4* on Amazon but see no other offerings w/ these works on a single disc - any suggestions?   Dave

P.S. just perusing Reger on Amazon, a LOT of boxes have appeared since my last look (likely years ago!) - just curious what our 'Reger Fans' are doing w/ their collections currently?

     

I'm a fan of his Piano Trios, especially the later one in E minor.



The Bach Variations are great:

[André]

The DG box set of orchestral/vocal/choral works is a mandatory purchase IMO.



The two cheapo boxes (Warner, Brilliant) offer a wide assortment of his output, but if you miss something, you'll have to duplicate some stuff.

The chamber music has been well covered, with sets of sonatas for violin, cello, clarinet, string quartets, trios etc. His huge output for unaccompanied choral music may not be comprehensively covered, though. And, depending on your proclivities for solo instrumental music, Reger's output for organ, piano and even violin is easily and economically available. I have 75+ cds of his music and am still buying.

[SonicMan46]

As there was an anniversary 2016 a bunch of boxes were created or re-issued. Hardly any new recordings, I believe. Cpo boxed their recordings of the accompanied violin and cello sonatas that had been oop but I had the cello already complete and found two discs of the violin sonatas enough. For the orchestral or mixed boxes I also had already "too much" of the ingredients. Becker's box with all piano works was also re-issued by a cheap label but again I was not sufficiently enthusiastic to get the whole thing. Reger had a huge output and it is surprisingly well covered. There are roughly two (mostly) complete recordings of the orchestral works; one on Eterna/Berlin/Brilliant and the other one on Koch/schwann that was boxed unter the DG label (Universal owns the recordings, I guess). There are at least three available ones of the string quartets (Danish/cpo, Drolc/DG, Mannheim/MDG) and MDG has also lots of the mixed chamber music.

Thanks all for the 'box' comments - I'm happy w/ what I own (could add a little more chamber music) - I agree w/ the above, i.e. the complete piano works, the orchestral boxes, numerous organ pieces, etc. just don't pique my interest - plus, not a frequent listener to his recordings.  BUT, for the afternoon, the CDs below - my remaining discs are the piano & violin concertos, plus serenades and suites.  Dave

     

[Jo498]

I can highly recommend the Hamelin variation disc. The Gerhardt cello is probably very good but I had the stuff already in other recordings. As I wrote above, the clarinet quintet is a favorite and quite well covered. I just realized that I also have the MDG recording of the trios...
Reger's (chamber) music became somewhat more relaxed and accessible later on. The opus numbers >100 are often more acccessible than the earlier ones. Nevertheless, a lot of it is still fairly tough listening.

[SonicMan46]

The DG box set of orchestral/vocal/choral works is a mandatory purchase IMO.



The two cheapo boxes (Warner, Brilliant) offer a wide assortment of his output, but if you miss something, you'll have to duplicate some stuff.

The chamber music has been well covered, with sets of sonatas for violin, cello, clarinet, string quartets, trios etc. His huge output for unaccompanied choral music may not be comprehensively covered, though. And, depending on your proclivities for solo instrumental music, Reger's output for organ, piano and even violin is easily and economically available. I have 75+ cds of his music and am still buying.

Sacré bleu, André!     Amazing!  Six+ dozen CDs - you must have the piano & organ boxes along w/ a bunch of choral works?  Actually, I'm going to listen to a few more chamber recordings on Spotify which I might add, getting me to only a measly 18 discs -    Dave

[JBS]

I'd suggest the Haas set of organ works on MDG and Becker's set of piano music (on NCA now). There's another set of the organ music on Naxos that takes up more shelf space, is about the same quality of performance and was at the time I bought it more expensive than the Haas set.   

I like the set of orchestral music on Berlin Classics better than the Warner and DG boxes, but the latter two are not confined to  orchestral music.

Chamber music I have too little.

[André]

I'd suggest the Haas set of organ works on MDG and Becker's set of piano music (on NCA now). There's another set of the organ music on Naxos that takes up more shelf space, is about the same quality of performance and was at the time I bought it more expensive than the Haas set.   

I like the set of orchestral music on Berlin Classics better than the Warner and DG boxes, but the latter two are not confined to  orchestral music.

Chamber music I have too little.

Yes and yes. Treasure chests both. I can't get over how this music is simply inexhaustible even in the most mundane or didactic pieces (of which there are a few).

[Jo498]

The Berlin Classics orchestral recordings should also be easier to find separately whereas the Koch, mostly led by Stein that were collected in the DG box had been oop for many years.

correction: Above I wrote "Danish quartet" on cpo, actually this is the obviously Swiss, not Danish Bern string quartet.

It is deplorable that Peter Serkin apparently never made any official Reger recordings, except one with Schiff (Beethoven variations for two pianos) and Rudolf so few that are also hard to find. Both were maybe the most prominent Reger champions among well known pianists.

[Herman]

I should revisit those pieces, but for Reger the general rule is the smaller the ensemble the more I like it. The suites for unaccompanied cello, great. The cello and piano sonatas, one instrument too many.

I don't feel that way. My rule is the music gets better, less dense and notey, when the opus nrs reach triple digits, and it keeps getting better as the nrs climb.

So the 2nd Piano Trio nr 102 may be the first work that really appeals to me.

The unaccompanied violin works don't appeal to me much, but the late sonatas for violin and piano, opp 122 and 139, are really terrific.

[Ratliff]

I don't feel that way. My rule is the music gets better, less dense and notey, when the opus nrs reach triple digits, and it keeps getting better as the nrs climb.

So the 2nd Piano Trio nr 102 may be the first work that really appeals to me.

The unaccompanied violin works don't appeal to me much, but the late sonatas for violin and piano, opp 122 and 139, are really terrific.

I also have the experience that the later works are more appealing, but I generally like the smaller ensembles. His orchestral music is too plush and saccharine for my taste, the chamber music more appealing.

[Jo498]

I could agree that Reger's music is often overdone in many ways, overspiced, overly complex, overly long etc. But plush and saccharine would be among the very last attributes I could think of to describe Reger. It's more like dark meat that is still not tender even after having been cooked forever with darker gravy, cabbage and heavy dumplings

[JBS]

The Berlin Classics orchestral recordings should also be easier to find separately whereas the Koch, mostly led by Stein that were collected in the DG box had been oop for many years.

correction: Above I wrote "Danish quartet" on cpo, actually this is the obviously Swiss, not Danish Bern string quartet.

It is deplorable that Peter Serkin apparently never made any official Reger recordings, except one with Schiff (Beethoven variations for two pianos) and Rudolf so few that are also hard to find. Both were maybe the most prominent Reger champions among well known pianists.

The Berlin Classics is still listed on Amazon US, although there may not be many copies available
[asin]B000BY96A0[/asin]

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I have been listening the piano box set by Becker for years, and I like it a lot.
I wish the recording sound were a little better.
I heard that there is another complete piano works set, but cannot find one.

[Maestro267]

It's just hit me...how much music this guy wrote in such a short space of time!

[Mahlerian]

It's just hit me...how much music this guy wrote in such a short space of time!

My composition teacher claimed that Reger could write a four or five voice fugue in his head. That's an exceptional level of facility. I think the reason his music can get so densely clotted is because in his mind all of these things were clear, but in real performance they're difficult to untangle.

[André]

I have been listening the piano box set by Becker for years, and I like it a lot.
I wish the recording sound were a little better.
I heard that there is another complete piano works set, but cannot find one.

It's a great set, with no weak links, even in the smaller works (there's tons of them, actually). Same with the same label's set of the organ works.

[kyjo]

It's just hit me...how much music this guy wrote in such a short space of time!

I know, right? According to Wikipedia, all of his works were composed within the span of 25 years. And most of them aren't short either!

[Mirror Image]

I know, right? According to Wikipedia, all of his works were composed within the span of 25 years. And most of them aren't short either!

Or enjoyable.

[Herman]

I have been listening to the recently maligned Reger Piano Concerto, performed by Gerhard Oppitz with the Bamberger Sym conducted by Horst Stein.

I had not taken this off the shelf in many years; I usually listen to chamber music when I listen to Reger. In my memory it was a very full and busy piece, but I'm not hearing any congestion now. It was composed and premiered in 1910, so formally it is a later work. Oppitz, Stein and the people at Koch Schwann have kept the textures open. The concerto was conceived for a female pianist, a pupil of Reger's, maybe that's part of it. There are big chords, sure, but the work does not rely on power. Also, there are no cadenzas.

There is a center of deep roiling agitation in this piece, but peace, too, as is shown by the relative brevity of the development section in the 18 minute first movement. The coda of the first mvt is just amazing.

The slow movement is one of those gorgeous prayer-like largos Reger wrote in his later years, with long melodic lines going from  ppp to crescendo and back to ppp. I remember how I used to love this music when I was a young man, 45 years ago, listening to the Rudolf Serkin / Ormandy recording. And I still am awestruck at this music. This combination of the sacred and the profane (the jolly finale) is unique to Max Reger. The finale is truly amazing in that it is a full orchestra plus piano playing chrystal clear chamber music.

I'm not going to put this back on the Reger shelf but listen to this piece some more in the rest of the week.

[André]

Nice post, Herman !

Of course I concur with your (very perceptive) appreciation  0:).