Max Reger - Organ Works Vol. 6 (Gerhard Weinberger)

Information

Composer: Max Reger

CD1:

• (01) Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E minor, Op. 127
• (04) from 52 Chorale Preludes, Op. 67
• (10) from 13 Choral Preludes, Op. 79b
• (12) from 12 Stücke, Op. 80

CD2:

• (01) Prelude in C minor, WoO 8 No. 6
• (02) Fugue in C minor, WoO 4 No. 8
• (03) 30 Little Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a: Nos. 1-15
• (18) Prelude and Fugue in D minor, WoO 4 No. 10
• (20) 30 Little Chorale Preludes, Op. 135a: Nos. 16-30
• (35) Postludium in D minor, WoO 4 No. 12

Gerhard Weinberger, organ
Date: 2019
Label: cpo
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/max-reger-orgelwerke-vol-6/hnum/4111671

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Review

With Volume 6, Gerhard Weinberger must now be three-quarters through his traversal of the complete organ works of Max Reger. I had the pleasure of reviewing Volumes 4 and 5 (review ~ review) and, as each new release comes along, the cycle goes from strength to strength. Like its predecessors, historical instruments from the composer's day are used. In this case we have two fine instruments: CD 1 features the Steinmeyer Organ (1911), from the Christuskirche, Manheim, whilst CD 2 presents the Bittner Organ (1913), housed in the Kirche St. Walburga, Beilngries, Germany. Both instruments have undergone recent restorations.

As a curtain raiser, guaranteed to grab the attention, the set opens with its most substantial piece, the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E minor Op 127, a late work composed in 1913 and dedicated to Karl Straube, who played the premiere in Breslau on 24 September. It's often been described as monumental. The weighty central section is a passacaglia with 26 variations. This is based on a theme which uses eleven of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale. The music builds in intensity throughout and culminates in a burly double fugue. The Prelude and Fugue in D minor, WoO IV/10 was published in 1902. Weinberger employs many dynamic contrasts during the course of the Prelude, and the registration choices reveal the versatility of the Bittner Organ. A four part fugue, crisply delineated, acts as a complement, building up to an impressive climax at the end. Staying with the Bittner, we close with the Postludium in D minor, WoO4 no.12. Written in Munich in 1904, it opens with a flourish in the shape of upward arpeggiated chords. A short fugue follows, and this leads to a coda in which we hear the instrument in its full majestic splendour.

The Thirty Little Chorale Preludes, op.135a are set out in two groups of fifteen each. They add an element of contrast after the more grandiose pieces. They are absolute gems, whose charm and allure lie in their simplicity and heavenly harmonies. They are a delight to listen to. Also in a lighter vein are the selection of three pieces (5-7) from Zwölf Stücke, Op. 80. The Ave Maria (no. 5) radiates a glowing intimacy, reflected in Weinberger's registration choice, whereas No. 7 is a whimsical scherzo, light-hearted and fickle.

True to form with this label, the annotations are packed with detailed information, in German and English, both on the music performed and the organs used. The imaginative choice of registrations ideally showcases both the music and the instruments employed, coupled with the thrill of a vivid recording. Weinberger's cycle continues to make a compelling case for this fine body of organ music.

-- Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International

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Max Reger (19 March 1873 – 11 May 1916) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and academic teacher. Born in Brand, Bavaria, he studied music theory in Sondershausen, then piano and theory in Wiesbaden. Reger produced an enormous output in just over 25 years, nearly always in abstract forms, but few of his compositions are well known in the 21st century. He first composed mainly Lieder, chamber music, choral music and works for piano and organ, and only turned to orchestral compositions later. Among Reger's students were Joseph Haas, Jaroslav Kvapil, Rudolf Serkin and George Szell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Reger

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Gerhard Weinberger (born 31 July 1948) is a German organist, choral conductor and teacher. Weinberger studied organ and church music with Franz Lehrndorfer at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München. He was Professor of Organ there from 1977 to 1983, and at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold from 1983 to 2011. Weinberger is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and of the Leipzig New Bach Society directorate. Weinberger has released close to fifty recordings, including the complete organ works of J.S. Bach on twenty-one compact discs.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Weinberger
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Weinberger-Gerhard.htm

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