Help with Max Reger music?

[Len_Z]

Dear all,

I've been very curious about Max Reger heritage but virtually have no clue where to start.

Any fans of his would care to recommend most important recordings of his music?

Thanks in advance,

Len Z

[John F]

Max Reger's music has had some important recordings over the years, but for me his music has mostly been rather indigestable. Here are a couple of pieces you might try. First the post-Brahmsian piano concerto, of which Rudolf Serkin (and now Peter Serkin) are among the few modern players. The Rudolf Serkin recording with Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra is the most persuasive I've heard:



And a piece I didn't know, a clarinet quintet. Has anybody ever written a clarinet quintet that lacks appeal?

[maestrob]

In all my years of collecting, this is a most impressive disc of tone poems. Highly recommended and thankfully still available on Amazon.

[jbuck919]

Reger is IMO the most important organ composer after Bach. (Most organists would say Messiaen, for whose all-atmosphere-no-substance organ works I have little use.) Whether that's saying a great deal or no depends on one's point of view. Organ music, even Bach's remains something of a specialty interest, but you could not go wrong with any of the large-format works such as the Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor.

[BWV 1080]

Reger tried to fuse post-Wagnerian chromaticism with traditional forms, the numerous sets of variations are a good place to start, particularly the Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart op.132

The Clarinet Quintet is one of his most respected works and the String Quartets are worth the effort

The digital version of this 13 CD set is only $8.99 on Amazon US

[lennygoran]

In all my years of collecting, this is a most impressive disc of tone poems. Highly recommended and thankfully still available on Amazon.

I'm listening to it now on you tube for the first time-very wonderful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFvVCOb ... 612C0D7270

It's broken down into 4 parts and the images on the screen as it plays are great! Regards, Len

[THEHORN]

The Hiller variations for orchestra is one of Reger's most appealing and effective works, IMHO . I have the excellent Berlin Classics recording with Franz Konwitschny and the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra .
The critical reaction to Leon Botstein's performance just a couple of days ago with his American symphony orchestra was somewhat negative, but the performance appears to have been sup par .
They might have like it more if they had heard the Konwittschny recording .

[John F]

If you'd like more music inspired by Böcklin's paintings, Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead" is probably the greatest.



It's one of the few pieces that the composer himself conducted for records, with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Böcklin created five versions of the picture - this one is his last:

[lennygoran]

If you'd like more music inspired by Böcklin's paintings, Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead" is probably the greatest.

Thanks, never heard of it but am listening now. Regards, Len

[maestrob]

If you'd like more music inspired by Böcklin's paintings, Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead" is probably the greatest.

Thanks, never heard of it but am listening now. Regards, Len

That's because recordings of the piece are few and far between: it's a difficult work to make happen, being 5 beats to the measure, lending the music an unsettling, rocking quality. I grew up with Reiner's version on RCA, and the only recent recording that lives up to that one IMHO is Petrenko. A great work, but rarely performed in the concert hall.