Search - Reger, Hindemith :: Reger/Hindemith: Clarinet Quintets

A good wake up to two composers, less heard, less known

wallah | Baltimore | 01/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One man lived a long, productive life, the other a short, productive life. Both seemed to have been driven to compose as a matter of workman-like routine (is routine a word one can use without implying anything negative?). Though both were well-known and respected during their lives, neither is much attended to these days. Max Reger is the more ignored of the two. Harold Schonberg, in his "Lives of the Great Composers," puts Reger in a chapter title with Mahler and Bruckner, and then dismisses him by quoting unnamed critics/musicians' aversions to his work: "Reger? oh no, fugues!" (Paraphrase)



A well-kept Musical Heritage Society LP of Reger's Seven Sonatas for Solo Violin seen in a humble little record store and his transcription of Bach's "O Mench, bewein dein Sünde gorße" heard on the radio during Christmas was all it took to justify an eager return for the LP. The connection, noticed later, between these two very different works is that Bach, of course, also has his Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitias. Reger's show up well against the master's. The transcription of the Aria is big, lucid, and memorable (c.f. the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra with Dennis Russell Davies). And, to these ears, no fugue is to be found.



Hindemith made a point of writing "useful" music, if that's not a contradiction. And he seems to have wanted to do what Bach did for keys, but for instruments and combinations thereof. That is, explore the whole range and open it up for others to settle in to. An admirable purpose.



This 2-CD set is admirable for at least two reasons: the recorded sound is really lovely; they got the balance between "here and there" just right. And the playing is rich and warm. These people clearly love this music and have done Hindemith and Reger (and us) a great service. And they have either never heard Mr. Schonberg's opinions or have set out to show him wrong.



One or the other of these CDs is in the CD player here at least once a day.



This Valerius Ensemble (the insert photo seems to show almost two dozen players involved) has only this set to represent it in the current Amazon listing (beside one or two that are discontinued). (Perhaps someone can point to something else?) Would that they might give us more. Reger and Hindemith both made sure that there is much more.



A tastefully designed, low-impact CD case, an easy-to-read track listing, and an enjoyable write up (the pre-translated European English is quickly forgiven).



Highly recommended for lovers of chamber music outside the canon."