Bern String Quartet, Max Reger - Reger: Complete String Quartets
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Artist: Bern String Quartet, Max RegerEdition: Music CD
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 1995-11-14
Music Label: Cpo Records
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Quartet In D Minor (1888-89): Allegro energico
- Quartet In D Minor (1888-89): Adagio
- Quartet In D Minor (1888-89): Finale 'Aufschwung'
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 1 In G Minor: Allegro agitato
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 1 In G Minor: Vivace assai
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 1 In G Minor: Largo mesto
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 1 In G Minor: Prestissimo assai
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 2 In A Major: Allegro assai e bizarro
- Quartet Op. 54 No. 2 In A Major: Andante semplice con Variazioni
- Allegro vivace con spirito
- Quartet Op. 74 In D Minor: Allegro agitato e vivace
- Quartet Op. 74 In D Minor: Vivace
- Quartet Op. 74 In D Minor: Andante sostenuto con Variazioni
- Quartet Op. 74 In D Minor: Allegro con spirito e vivace
- Quartet Op. 109 In E Flat Major: Allegro moderato
- Quartet Op. 109 In E Flat Major: Quasi presto
- Quartet Op. 109 In E Flat Major: Larghetto
- Quartet Op. 109 In E Flat Major: Allegro con grazia
- Quartet Op. 121 In F Sharp Minor: Allegro espressivo
- Quartet Op. 121 In F Sharp Minor: Vivace
- Quartet Op. 121 In F Sharp Minor: Adagio
- Quartet Op. 121 In F Sharp Minor: Allegro con spirito
Music reviews of Reger: Complete String Quartets
Music Review: AN UNPARALLED REGER BARGAIN
Rating: 5 Stars
Doubtless, Reger is a tough nut to crack.
Frankly, I doubt he's had a very strong hold on anybody's imagination for very long: He can appear ornery, thorny, brutish, thick, inaccessible. And, indeed, not only in appearance; however, as in some of his marvelously autobiographical piano music (e.g. "From My Diary," Op. 82), chamber (e.g. Clarinet Quintet, Op. 146) and symphonic works (e.g. Suite In the Olden Style, Op. 93 or the Romantic Suite, Op. 125), we see an obviously vulnerable composer shedding and surrendering his "veneer" to become more approachable. But don't blink! He's just as apt to turn around and wall himself up.
In Reger's quartet output, the man displays all his sides, his weaknesses, his strengths. At times, he is downright lovable; at others, an irascible codger. But the journey through his quartets is worth the effort, regardless.
The early Quartet in D already portends "the Reger to come." Its opening Allegro Energico and quizzical Finale ("Aufschwung") have all the hallmarks of a quirky composer who knew who he was. [This sounds very much like another composer whose String Quartets, Op. 18 established a firm personna early on and rather turned the musical establishment on its ear. Now... what was his name... Ludwig van... something.]
Both Op. 54 (No.'s 1 and 2) seem to find a Reger more at ease, less tense, although there are moments (as in the opening Allegro Assai E Bizarro of Op. 54, No.2) where he fits and starts; but, then, the lovely Largo Mesto (Op. 54, No. 1) and Andante Semplice Con Variazoni (Op. 54, No. 2) complement nicely.
Op. 74 is a curious work longing for a place to stabilize, an interesting work caught on the horns of an on-going "agitato" and a partially sustained "andante." This manic/depressive nature, one that manifests itself in Reger's music, is a compelling facet.
With Op. 109, we come to a more brooding composer, deep in thought, dense in compositional style. Even here, the Larghetto brings no real relief. One of Reger's more "homogenous" works, it can become a tad daunting to sit through. Reger, never one to be a rampant melodist, seems to try his hardest here to keep all lyricism subservient to technique. And so, for me, this seems the weaker quartet for it.
The Op. 121 pulls out all the stops. We are in uncharted territory here. Reger teases us with an "expressive" opening Allegro that, well, really isn't, pokes at us with a Vivace that harbors a gallows humor, allows us brief solace with a most affecting Adagio and, then, concludes by rattling us with a death-defying Allegro Con Spirito of amazing proportions.
To say that Reger's quartets are complex would be putting it mildly. This is not the kind of chamber music one listens to for the sheer beauty of it. This is not Reger's style; actually, he eschews the outright display of obligatory lyricism. If one is to appreciate Reger's musical "world," and especially these quartets, patience and immersion are essential. After repeated hearings, the composer becomes "clear."
The Bern String Quartet are faithful (and intrepid) interpretative performers of Reger. They are one of the few groups I've ever heard who can bring the beauties of Reger to the fore and subvert the tedious to the listenable, hardly a task unworthy of kudos. The sound given the group is warm, but detailed, and aids in clarifying the Reger "thickness."
[Running time--- CD 1: 73:32 CD 2: 53:15 CD 3: 74:17]
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