Reger Organ Works 8

Tracklist

Chorale Fantasia on Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 27
1. Chorale Fantasia on Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 27 00:16:11
12 Pieces, Op. 80: No. 7. Scherzo in F-Sharp Minor
2. 12 Pieces, Op. 80: No. 7. Scherzo in F - Sharp Minor 00:05:14
30 Little Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a: Nos. 11-16
3. No. 11. Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend 00:01:03
4. No. 12. Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt 00:01:10
5. No. 13. Jesus, meine Zuversicht 00:01:47
6. No. 14. Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier 00:01:53
7. No. 15. Lobe den Herren, den machtigen Konig der Ehren 00:01:04
8. No. 16. Macht hoch die Tur 00:01:16
12 Pieces, Op. 80: No. 8. Romanze in A Minor
9. 12 Pieces, Op. 80: No. 8. Romanze in A Minor 00:04:29
30 Little Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a: Nos. 17-23
10. No. 17. Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht 00:01:55
11. No. 18. Nun danket alle Gott 00:01:11
12. No. 19. O dass ich tausend Zungen hatte 00:01:08
13. No. 20. O Gott, du frommer Gott 00:02:09
14. No. 21. O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden (Herzlich tut mich verlangen) 00:03:43
15. No. 22. O Welt, ich muss dich lassen 00:01:20
16. No. 23. Valet will ich dir geben 00:01:03
Romanze in A Minor
17. Romanze in A Minor 00:04:12
30 Little Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a: Nos. 24-30
18. No. 24. Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her 00:01:05
19. No. 25. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme 00:01:20
20. No. 26. Was Gott tut, das is wohlgetan 00:01:07
21. No. 27. Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit 00:01:08
22. No. 28. Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten 00:02:14
23. No. 29. Wie schon leuch't uns der Morgenstern 00:01:04
24. No. 30. Wunderbarer Konig 00:01:18
Prelude and Fugue in F-Sharp Minor
25. Prelude 00:03:14
26. Fugue 00:03:09
Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor
27. Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor 00:07:55

TT Total Playing Time: 74'22

About this Recording

Max Reger owed his earlier interest in music to the example and enthusiasm of his father, a schoolmaster and amateur musician, and his early training to the town organist of Weiden, Adalbert Lindner. Reger was born in 1873 at Brand in the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria. The following year the family moved to Weiden and it was there that he spent his childhood and adolescence, embarking on a course of training as a teacher when he left school. Lindner had sent examples of Reger's early compositions to his own former teacher, Hugo Riemann, who accepted Reger as a pupil, at first in Sondershausen and then, as his assistant, in Wiesbaden. Military service, which affected Reger's health and spirits, was followed by a period at home with his parents in Weiden and a continuing series of compositions, in particular for the organ, including a monumental series of chorale fantasias and other compositions, often, it seems, designed to challenge the technique of his friend Karl Straube, a noted performer of Reger's organ music.

In 1901 Reger moved to Munich, where he spent the next six years. His position in musical life was in some ways an uneasy one, since he was seen as a champion of absolute music and as hostile, at this time, to programme music and to the legacy of Wagner and Liszt. He was successful, however, as a pianist and was gradually able to find an audience for his music. The period in Munich brought the composition of his Sinfonietta, of chamber music, and of fine sets of keyboard variations on themes by Bach and Beethoven, followed in later years by his well-known variations on a theme by Mozart.

1907 brought a change in Reger's life, when he took the position of professor of composition at the University of Leipzig, at a time when his music was reaching a much wider public. This was supported by his own distinction as a performer and concert appearances in London, St Petersburg, The Netherlands, and Austria, and throughout Germany. In 1911 he was invited by the Duke of Saxe- Meiningen to become conductor of the court orchestra, an ensemble established by Hans von Bülow and once conducted by Richard Strauss, at the outset of his career. Reger held this position until the beginning of the war, when the orchestra was disbanded, an event that coincided with his own earlier intention to resign. He spent his final years based in Jena, but continuing his active career as a composer and as a concert performer. He died in Leipzig in May 1916 on his way back from a concert tour of The Netherlands.

The music of Max Reger has a special position in organ repertoire, and he is regarded by many as the greatest German composer of organ music since Bach. A Catholic himself, he nevertheless drew on Lutheran tradition and the rich store of chorales, the inspiration for chorale preludes, chorale fantasias and other works. The esteem in which his organ compositions were held even in his own time owed much to the advocacy of Karl Straube, also a pupil of Riemann and from 1902 organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

The monumental Chorale Fantasia on 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott', Op. 27, was written in 1898 and dedicated to Karl Straube, presenting an obvious challenge. With the direction Allegro vivace (ma pomposo), it starts with a passage for the pedals, before the chorale is introduced in the left hand, with the busy pedal part below and a similar texture for the right hand above. This is in D major, but the passage ends with a grandiose homophonic setting of the words Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, the third line of Martin Luther's hymn, in the key of B flat. The chorale continues in D major with the fifth and sixth lines, Der alt böse Feind / mit Ernst er's jetzt meint, capped again by the massive B flat version of the following words. The first verse of the chorale continues in the same way. The second verse, Mit unsrer macht ist nichts getan, starts quietly, with the melody in the pedals, but still in the tenor register, with the busy texture of the manuals heard above and below. Each section, in D major, is followed by a chordal B flat major version. The third verse, marked Allegro moderato, offers textures of bewildering complexity, to the words Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär (And were this world all devils o'er), the tenor melody now played by the right foot, with a left-foot pedal quaver foundation to the elaborate chords of the manuals, before the melody is given out in octaves by the right hand, while left hand and pedals provide a busy counterpoint. The last verse of the chorale starts with the melody played by the right hand, before moving to octaves in the left and to the right hand again. The pedals take up the chorale, of which the opening phrase is heard in various voices, as the textures become predominantly chordal. The final Maestoso statement, das Reich muss uns doch bleiben (The city of God remaineth) is followed by a short pianissimo shift to F major, before the final D major proclamation of faith.

The Twelve Pieces, Op. 80, are dated 1902 and 1904 and dedicated to the Breslau organist Otto Burkert. The seventh piece, Scherzo, is in F sharp minor, with the rapid modulations that are a general feature of Reger's work. There is a contrasting chordal trio section that returns briefly in conclusion. The eighth piece, Romanze, is in A minor and in a gentle 6/8.

The Dreißig kleine Choral-Vorspiele zu den gebräuchlichsten Chorälen (Thirty Little Chorale Preludes on the most common chorales), Op. 135a, were published in 1914 and dedicated to Hans von Ohlendorff. They serve a practical purpose and make relatively few demands on a performer, but still preserve Reger's particular characteristic of modulation and chromaticism, here within technical limits.

Reger's Romanze in A minor, appeared in 1904. It is published among works without opus number and was originally intended for harmonium, but later adapted for the organ. Marked Andante con moto it is in 6/8, with dotted figuration, its gentle lilt leading to textures of greater complexity at the centre of the work.

The Prelude and Fugue in F sharp minor of 1912, dedicated to Reger's friend Hans von Ohlendorff, is a reworking of two piano pieces from Aus meinem Tagebuch. Relatively straightforward, but with characteristic modulations and chromatic elements, the Prelude leads to a fourvoice fugue in which the subject is heard in the tenor, answered in the alto and then the soprano, with the final bass entry in the pedals.

Without an opus number, like the preceding work, the Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor was first published in 1900 in an album for the benefit of a new organ for Schönberg im Taunus. He pointed out in a letter to the editor of the collection, Ludwig Sauer, that he had deliberately kept the work simple, so that, as he said, a reasonably well trained organist should be able to play the Passacaglia at sight. It is true that the work avoids the heavy demands and complex textures of such compositions as the Chorale Fantasia with which the present recording opens, and for this reason is heard more frequently than might otherwise have been the case. The solemn introduction is followed by the Passacaglia bass, on the pedals, above which the manuals offer succeeding variations.

Keith Anderson

Reviews
Bob Briggs
MusicWeb International, April 2009

There, surely, cannot be an organist anywhere in the world who has not, at some time, played one of Max Reger's pieces, whether it be the Benedictus, op.59/9 (1901) or the gigantic Variations and Fugue in F sharp minor, op.73 (1903) or the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E minor, op.127 (1913). Reger's organ works cover a vast amount of music from the smallest—Thirty Little Chorale Preludes, op.135a—to the truly symphonic—the works already mentioned. Like Schubert before him, he seemed to need a large time-span to allow him fully to express exactly what he wanted. Thus there are large-scale orchestral, chamber and choral works none of which, to me, seem a moment too long. There are many who believe exactly the opposite and wish that he would simply get on with it. However to rush this man's music is to miss the mystical quality of much that he wrote. He was also not without a sense of humour, and there are some delightful smaller pieces, such as the Lustspielouverture, op.120 (1913) and Eine Ballettsuite, op.130 (1913). If ever a composer wrote something for everybody it has to be Reger. Where to begin is the problem because despite his mere 43 years his output was prodigious and his 140-plus opus numbers don't give any idea of the real number of compositions. Some of the opus numbers contain several different works. There are probably as many works again, not to mention arrangements of other composer's works, without opus numbers.

This is a good collection of organ pieces with which to start. There's one big work, the Chorale Fantasia on Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, op.27 which is very serious and treads a large late-romantic path. This is followed by the hilarious Scherzo in F sharp minor. This could almost be one of those pieces heard live from the Blackpool Tower ballroom, played by Reginald Dixon. It's so much in the light music, comic, character mould. In its registration and execution I was reminded of some of Edwin Lemare's marvellous arrangements of orchestral works for the organ—such as the Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre.

The twenty pieces from the Thirty Little Chorale Preludes, op.135a—heard in three groups—are lighter in texture, treating their material simply and in a very straightforward manner. There are no surprises in either harmony or melody. Here, Welzel uses all his artistry and knowledge of the instrument to create perfect miniatures by the judicious and intelligent choice of the registration employed for each work. These are delightful. The first ten pieces from this set can be found on volume 2 of this series—Naxos 8.553927—played by Ludger Lohmann on the organ of the Evangelical Church, Giengen an der Brenz.

The Romance in A minor, op.80/8 is a devotional piece, delicate and quiet, like a prayer. The similarly named piece from 1904 is more passionate and intense. Being the devotee of J.S. Bach that he was, it will come as no surprise to find a Prelude and Fugue amongst these pieces. Indeed, there are many spread throughout his catalogue. Here's the genius of Reger the composer—the Toccata isn't the overt display piece it so usually is. The fugue has a restraint to it, the music never raising its voice and the textures remain pure and simple. This collection ends with the superb, and large-scale in feel, Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor. A loud Introduction leads into a really well built and sustained Passacaglia, with lots of event and movement. Although this is a relatively early work it is as well wrought as anything he ever wrote.

This is a well planned and very interesting recital of little known, if known at all to the general public, music for organ by one of the most prolific and profound composers who ever wrote for the instrument. Welsel plays very well indeed. As already noted his choice of registration has been intelligently thought out and his performances are perfect for the music. Naxos's sound captures the acoustic of the Trier Cathedral perfectly; there is a full five and a half second reverberation at the end of the Introduction and Passacaglia—a wonderful sound. Naxos is doing us a real favour by recording the organ music of Reger for it is music which cannot, and should not, be ignored.

Gatens
American Record Guide, September 2008

This program of organ works by Max Reger (1873-1916) opens with one of the composer's large-scale and virtuosic chorale fantasias, 'Ein Feste Burg', Opus 27, written in 1898 for Karl Straube. In it Reger gives a musical characterization of each stanza of the chorale text in succession.

The rest of the program consists of smaller works that, for the most part, pose less formidable technical demands. These include the last 20 of the set of 30 Little Chorale Preludes, Opus 135a, published in 1914. …Martin Welzel (b 1972) is the artist for this volume of the Naxos Reger series. He has recorded at least one other disc for the series. …His performances here are authoritative and coherent.

The instrument for this volume is the 1974 Klais organ at Trier Cathedral. It was designed by Hans Gerd Klais who, according to Alfred Reichling writing in New Grove, "preferred not to imitate historical styles [but] build versatile, modern instruments that synthesize a variety of historical and modern elements". This instrument has the intense ferocity of German romantic organs but with more brilliance and clarity than most 19th-Century instruments. Some quieter combinations have a brooding urgency, but the pedal tends to be too heavy and indistinct to balance well with them. Sometimes Wetzel uses registrations that sound that bit too baroque for Reger, but most are very effective.

Readers who decide to acquire this recording should be aware of an error in the printed track list. In the group of numbers 24 to 30 of the Little Chorale Preludes, it appears as if number 26 ('Was Gott Tut, das ist Wohlgetan') is taken out of sequence and played after number 30 as track 24. In fact, the preludes are recorded in their published numerical order.

David Denton
David's Review Corner, May 2008

I always relate Reger's organ works to the symphonies of Bruckner, both sharing that feeling of creating great cathedrals of music.

Born in 1873, Max Reger's Bavarian family fostered his love of music, though progress was more measured than rapid. As a youngster he was to help his father rebuild a discarded organ, creating a deep love for the instrument, though it was hearing the music of Wagner at the Bayreuth Festival that finally kindled his determination to become a composer. A compulsory period of service in the army left him in poor health, and when he did return to music, his works were seen as reactionary and were not universally welcome. Much of his output was for organ, though his appointment as conductor of the Meiningen Court Orchestra in 1911 prompted him to write a number of highly enjoyable orchestral scores. There was no doubt that the army years eventually contributed to an early death at the age of 43. This disc offers a typical cross-section of his output, opening with the massive Choral Fantasia on Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, where the performer throws in the full power of his instrument, in this case the mighty Johannes Klais organ in Germany's Trier Cathedral. Reger did also compose in a less ambitious manner, the disc containing twenty of the Thirty Little Choral Preludes that make few demands on the performer and would serve well to fill moments in church services. The German-born Martin Welzel has taken a special interest in the composer, and in the extended works - the final Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor being particularly imposing - his performances are outstanding. It is in the quieter pieces that he does not delve into that feeling of total repose I was expecting. The sound quality has plenty of impact and captures the full scope of the instrument.

REGER, Max (1873-1916): Organ Works, Vol. 8 - Chorale Fantasia on Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott / Little Chorale Preludes, Nos. 11-30

Productdetails
Composer(s): Reger, Max
Artist(s): Welzel, Martin, organ
Label: Naxos
Series: Organ Encyclopedia
Genre: Instrumental
Period: 20th Century
Catalogue No: 8.570455
Barcode: 0747313045570
Physical Release: 05/2008

Max Reger is regarded by many as the greatest German composer of organ music since Bach. The eighth volume of his organ works (earlier releases are available on Naxos 8.553926, 8.553927, 8.554207, 8.555905, 8.557186, 8.557338 and 8.557891) includes the monumental and demanding Chorale Fantasia on 'Ein feste Burg' and the popular Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor.