Max Reger(1873-1916)

[Mirror Image]

I am just pondering the fact that I want to acquire more orchestral works of Reger, I have plenty of Reger's chamber music but I'm in the dark concerning his orchestral work.

Thanks for the recommend John.

You're welcome, Leo. I hope you decide on that Jarvi recording because it's freakin' great!

[bwv 1080]

the MP3 version of the 11-CD set is only $8.99 on Amazon US

The recordings are excellent and in no way inferior to major label editions

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I've heard basically zilch by Reger. But Robert Simpson's Introduction and Allegro on a Bass by Max Reger is a powerful piece for brass ensemble. Fans of serious brass music should check it out.

[Brian]

Today, inspired by the Dave Hurwitz/"Role of the Critic" thread, I've been revisiting the music of Max Reger.



The piano concerto's slow movement is really a thing of beauty, very quiet, calm, restrained. It seems Reger was here trying to be as economical as possible with instrumentation, development, even notation. And the ending of the slow movement, which deliberately quotes directly from Beethoven's Fourth Concerto, is rather gratifying. Unfortunately, I thought the two outer movements were overblown. They're basically imitations of Brahms' First Concerto (a comparison Reger himself acknowledged in his description of the work), but without the melodies or panache. The concerto's ending, in particular, seems to come out of nowhere, as if he just got tired of writing.

The Suite im alten Stil is better as imitation than Grieg's Holberg Suite, but a less fanciful/inventive work. It has some real echoes of J.S. Bach, and there are passages in the Largo which are real highlights. But, again, this is one of those pieces that's hard for me to have an opinion about, because it's well-crafted, and has nice things, but without ever really forcing my memory cells to commit to preserving anything.



With the three solo viola suites Reger is taking Bach as his beginning, which is the style where I think Reger is most successful. This is beautiful music, especially as played by Nobuko Imai, a violist who produces a soulful tone and never sounds tentative or ugly. For whatever reason, I am and always have been a total sucker for solo viola suites in a rigorous classical style. (Also love Lillian Fuchs's compositions, and Maxim Rysanov's recordings of the Bach cello suites.)



"Traume am Kamin" is a suite of 12 character pieces, like Schumann, although the voice is more like late Brahms - except No. 12, which is a blatant rewrite of Chopin's Berceuse. There are interesting harmonies and there is skillful writing, but I don't detect the soul that you get in late Brahms (or in Chopin's Berceuse). So far, only the slow movement of the piano concerto has demonstrating anything that could be called an emotion; Reger composed for different reasons than that, with his head, not his heart. Not to denigrate that. I don't judge that choice. But I think it must be pointed out.

The CD's couplings, by Alexander Scriabin and Joseph Jongen, both exhibit the kind of color and personality that Reger was reluctant to express.



The Four Bocklin Tone Pictures would seem to give Reger the chance to bust out of his formal self and do some color-painting. And he does just that. Still, it does amuse me that in No. 1, "The Fiddling Hermit," the very considerable violin solo is discreet, polished, and classy: not what you'd expect from a fiddling hermit! Also, "Isle of the Dead" is more nocturnal and peaceful than Rachmaninov's more famous and better version. A final "Bacchanal" promises a chance for Reger to finally indulge in a bit of fun, and...hey, it is kinda fun!



Now this is the good stuff! Reger was a master of the organ, in total command of its colors and its massive range. As a result, even the 'feste Burg' Chorale Fantasia is a fun listen despite being too long; the shorter works are pearls. Doesn't hurt that the organ of Trier Cathedral is more or less what an ideal organ sounds like, in my mind (even the weird nasal hautbois sound in Little Chorale Prelude No. 13). The Preludes and Fugues update Bach with a 1900s man's views on chromatic harmony.

I think the conclusion of this cursory, not-at-all-in-depth 3-4 hour exploration of Reger's music is that, while the Bocklin piece is attractive, Reger is at his best when being the Late Romantic Bach rather than the Late Romantic Brahms. And in particular, on the organ.

[amw]

The Reger in "normal mode" (ie Late Romantic Brahms) that I listen to is the Violin Concerto. I don't know why. It's an hour long rehash of the Brahms Violin Concerto, except with every trace of melody and actual energy surgically removed and replaced with incredibly weird, recherché harmonic progressions. I mean, it's possible he meant it to have a compelling forward drive and Tanja Becker-Bender and her conductor are just taking it in an incredibly relaxed, introspective way, (or that he meant for it to have a compelling forward drive and wasn't able to realise this in the music, which is more likely) but it has this air of aimless floating and free fantasy in a recogniseable but defamiliarised musical world. Like an hour-long nocturne or something (all the movements are probably in strict sonata or rondo forms, knowing the composer—but I've never cared enough, or been able to follow the main themes enough, to identify them).

On the other hand, sometimes the directionlessness and lack of emotional engagement is not what I'm looking for, and I instead put on the Busoni Violin Concerto, which does almost all of the same things but Busoni could write a melody or create a real and seemingly unstoppable forward drive when he saw fit, and is half the length. Actually what surprises me is that there seem to be more recordings of the Reger concerto than the (almost objectively better and equally slushy late-romantic) Busoni one.

[The new erato]

The Reger in "normal mode" (ie Late Romantic Brahms) that I listen to is the Violin Concerto. I don't know why. It's an hour long rehash of the Brahms Violin Concerto, except with every trace of melody and actual energy surgically removed and replaced with incredibly weird, recherché harmonic progressions. I mean, it's possible he meant it to have a compelling forward drive and Tanja Becker-Bender and her conductor are just taking it in an incredibly relaxed, introspective way, (or that he meant for it to have a compelling forward drive and wasn't able to realise this in the music, which is more likely) but it has this air of aimless floating and free fantasy in a recogniseable but defamiliarised musical world. Like an hour-long nocturne or something (all the movements are probably in strict sonata or rondo forms, knowing the composer—but I've never cared enough, or been able to follow the main themes enough, to identify them).

On the other hand, sometimes the directionlessness and lack of emotional engagement is not what I'm looking for, and I instead put on the Busoni Violin Concerto, which does almost all of the same things but Busoni could write a melody or create a real and seemingly unstoppable forward drive when he saw fit, and is half the length. Actually what surprises me is that there seem to be more recordings of the Reger concerto than the (almost objectively better and equally slushy late-romantic) Busoni one.

Good post! The Reger I prefer is invariably the Chamber Music one.

[amw]

I like the five big variation sets in a non-problematic way—most of all the Telemann Variations. Also all the solo string music (viola and cello suites and violin sonatas). Most of the chamber music I can recall is sort of like more aggressive, miasmic versions of the Violin Concerto that (apart from a very good Clarinet Quintet) lack its tenderness. But I'm possibly being unfair to a few other works that aren't coming to my memory right now.

[The new erato]

I remember liking the viola sonatas a lot.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Today, inspired by the Dave Hurwitz/"Role of the Critic" thread, I've been revisiting the music of Max Reger.

Thank for you this. I haven't started my Regerthon yet. I keep meaning to, but somehow more than with most composers, approaching Reger feels like such a chore.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

#morninglistening to #MaxReger w/Bernhard Buttmann, far and away the most attractive Reger... http://ift.tt/2fnEMeR

Love this series! Vol.1 hooked me; v.4 continues the journey; must explore the two between.

I don't think I can write a review without resorting to puerile humor... But Benny, as no one calls Prof. Buttmann, just brings out the inner Bart Simpson in me.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Classical CD Of The Week: Amid Debussy and Arno Breker

http://bit.ly/CDoftheWeek50

[The new erato]

Nobody commented on the Buttman name? OK, now I've done it.

[Jo498]

I like the five big variation sets in a non-problematic way—most of all the Telemann Variations.

I also think that the orchestral and piano variations are among the most accessible pieces. Also the clarinet quintet and the two latest string quartet rather than the earlier ones. The concertos are just too long for me but the "Böcklin suite" (tone poems/Suite) is also quite accessible and more colorful than "typical Reger".
Of the solo string pieces I only know the cello suites and I like them but this kind of repertoire is bound to be not for everybody.

Overall, I don't like Reger as much as one could expect (because I like the Bach-Beethoven-Brahms lineage and chamber music) but the sheer amount of music he composed is impressive. And I don't even know any of the organ and only a little of his choral stuff. In these two niche fields Reger is still very present in Germany

[SurprisedByBeauty]

Nobody commented on the Buttman name? OK, now I've done it.

It's almost too obvious. :-)

(Actually, I thought I had, in some review, but now I can't find any evidence of it. Probably for the better!)

[cilgwyn]

Nobody commented on the Buttman name? OK, now I've done it.

Makes me think of that episode of Seinfeld!

[Turner]

Bump; the main content as regards my Reger recordings.

I don´t plan to buy more, I´ll probably never get into his complete organ music, but as far as I remember the two Troubadisc chamber music recordings (piano quartets, piano quintet+trio) could perhaps be changed for better ones, in case Naxos or Brilliant Classics should decide to relase some economical ones.

[Jo498]

MDG has all/most of the chamber music for trio and larger ensembles (Mannheim string quartet, Trio Parnassus and additional musicians if necessary). They are usually full price but some might be found cheaply from re-sellers.

Naxos has the piano quartets and string trios with an apparently Berlin based ensemble (two former members of the Petersen Quartet are listed) "Aperto Piano Quartet" and also a good disc with the clarinet quintet and a string quartet. But the clarinet quintet is the by far most frequently recorded chamber piece by Reger and there is no lack of good recordings. I have one the "Aperto" disc and thought it was fine but I am not too familiar with the music.

[vandermolen]

I like this disc very much - I especially like the 'Isle of the Dead' (Boecklin Suite) as an interesting alternative to Rachmaninov's tone poem:
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[Turner]

MDG has all/most of the chamber music for trio and larger ensembles (Mannheim string quartet, Trio Parnassus and additional musicians if necessary). They are usually full price but some might be found cheaply from re-sellers.

Naxos has the piano quartets and string trios with an apparently Berlin based ensemble (two former members of the Petersen Quartet are listed) "Aperto Piano Quartet" and also a good disc with the clarinet quintet and a string quartet. But the clarinet quintet is the by far most frequently recorded chamber piece by Reger and there is no lack of good recordings. I have one the "Aperto" disc and thought it was fine but I am not too familiar with the music.

Oh - some Reger piano quartets on Naxos I hadn't t seen, thank you. A music theory student I talked to and who wrote his main paper on Reger said that they were among his best works, and as far as I remember the string sound of the Troubadisc recordings just doesn't appeal much to me.
The Clarinet5 I have on the old DG LP with Leister and the Drolc quartet ... But like you I haven't heard it thoroughly through.

[Jo498]

The Naxos have pretty good sound. It's a coproduction with Deutschlandradio and hessischer Rundfunk, respectively.

[asin]B001BLR7F8[/asin] [asin]B001F1YBVC[/asin]

@Vandermolen: I do not know the disc in question but the Böcklin suite and the variations (Hiller and Mozart) are probably the most accessible of Reger's usually longish and sometimes thorny orchestral music.

The music of Reger that is in practice most frequently performed is certainly his organ and choral stuff, both are commonly performed in Germany (not quite as common as Bach, but probably next for the organ and right after Brahms and Mendelssohn for the romantic choral stuff)