# Reger Piano Quartets



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

These are gems. Why aren't they more well known?

Favorite recordings? Thoughts about the works?


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

I must admit that I wasn't even ever of said works. Thanks for mentioning them, I shall explore them soon and report back later!

Reger is a composer I should get to know better. I remember going through his string quartets a few years ago and thoroughly enjoying the experience. His gargantuan violin concerto made me a bit uncomfortable, it was quite an intense piece of music...


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Born too late, I believe. He was an advocate of absolute music, and continued work in that vein, but not with the music of the times that were highly personal over-the-top utterances or exploring new harmonies. He's seen more as a curiousity now, music stuck between the old and new world. I have to admit the first time after seeing his timeline, a small blurb, and buying his music, I was disappointed, I was looking for something moody, or part of the Expressionism movement. But the guy was a genius, even when he composes similar in style to late Beethoven.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I know the first piano quartet - a fine work. I greatly prefer Reger's rather Brahmsian chamber music to his orchestral music.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

I listened to part of the first piano quartet after reading this thread. Brahmsian indeed. I liked it, will have to look into this composer more.


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

I also just finished listening to the D minor quartet - phew, what an intense work! Certainly not something that one can grasp on a single listening. I did enjoy it, though! On the same CD (a Naxos release) there was the A minor string trio, a very different kind of work: much lighter and more transparent, yet unmistakably Regerian. A fine CD overall, and the music kept me intrigued the whole time. Will explore the second quartet (and the second trio!) later...


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Of Max Reger's chamber works I'd say the two piano quartets are among the more challenging on first acquaintance - both were from his later period when I got the impression that he was at times on the verge of tying himself in knots by pushing chromaticism to its absolute limit, leading to ever-thickening textures (detractors would say things like 'impenetrable' and 'stodgy'). This was the kind of densely-packed late romantic music I initially used to baulk at, but with perseverance the fish began to swim into the net and I'm a card-carrying Reger fan these days. 

For contrast, it's worth listening to the two serenades for flute, viola and violin ops. 77a and 141a and the two string trios ops.77b and 141b - they are shorter and with a Mozartian fleetness of foot, proving that Reger could lighten up when he needed to. 

On the other hand, for those who fancy sinking their choppers into a work which is arguably as challenging as the two piano quartets then I suggest the third string quartet op.74.

I have the piano quartets (paired with the two string trios) on Naxos but haven't heard any other recordings.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> but with perseverance *the fish began to swim into the net* and I'm a card-carrying Reger fan these days.


A nice expression! I've been thinking recently of how it is that a work can suddenly start to "become meaningful" after a few listens. It is a strange process that takes over from merely becoming familiar with the music to actually enjoying it. I don't greatly understand what happens or how.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Phil loves classical said:


> He's seen more as a curiousity now, music stuck between the old and new world.


I'd say that Reger's music is a bridge between the old and new world and much more substantial than a curiosity.

Concerning the piano quartets, I favor no. 2, finding it the more uplifting of the two.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Those who enjoy the deep wade into the sometimes impenetrable swamp of Regerian chromaticism shouldn't neglect the chamber works with clarinet: the three sonatas for clarinet and piano, and the clarinet quintet. I swear he doesn't always know where he's going, and so there's no reason to expect that we should know. But the trip can be fascinating, with pleasant glimpses of Brahms and Wagner along the way.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Those who enjoy the deep wade into the sometimes impenetrable swamp of Regerian chromaticism shouldn't neglect the chamber works with clarinet: the three sonatas for clarinet and piano, and the clarinet quintet.


I love Reger's clarinet chamber works, my favorite Reger pieces. I feel the same way about Weber's clarinet chamber works. As a youngster, I played clarinet - must be a connection.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Those who enjoy the deep wade into the sometimes impenetrable swamp of Regerian chromaticism shouldn't neglect the chamber works with clarinet: the three sonatas for clarinet and piano, and the clarinet quintet. I swear he doesn't always know where he's going, and so there's no reason to expect that we should know. But the trip can be fascinating, with pleasant glimpses of Brahms and Wagner along the way.


I have a number of his chamber works with clarinet, and found them quite listenable, yet somehow tiresome. Like in the music of Medtner, even Taneyev, Reger's dense scoring requires patience, and I admit the need to get into them further. It could be the recordings (the key is clarity, with the performers' ability to differentiate the ideas without sounding cloudy). But I enjoy his orchestral works more (Piano Concerto, Suite in G, Bocklin Suite, Suite im alten Stil, to name a few).


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Orfeo said:


> I have a number of his chamber works with clarinet, and found them quite listenable, yet somehow tiresome. Like in the music of Medtner, even Taneyev, Reger's dense scoring requires patience, and I admit the need to get into them further. It could be the recordings (the key is clarity, with the performers' ability to differentiate the ideas without sounding cloudy). But I enjoy his orchestral works more (Piano Concerto, Suite in G, Bocklin Suite, Suite im alten Stil, to name a few).


I know what you mean. Some of the late orchestral works, and the late works in general, are less convoluted and arbitrary harmonically. I'm not always in a mood to be kept in constant suspense over the question, "where the heck is he taking this?"


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)




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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

I listened to both piano quartets. Not my cup of tea I think. They strike me on first hearing as short winded and myopic(?) or claustrophobic. Seems no idea is stated without its being immediately sequenced melodically (repeated on a different scale degree) or rhythmically. I kept wanting to hear the ideas spun out in longer lines that breathe more freely. Two many short, overly regular units.

I'll try some more of his work in the next few days while I'm thinking about it.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Enthusiast said:


> A nice expression! I've been thinking recently of how it is that a work can suddenly start to "become meaningful" after a few listens. It is a strange process that takes over from merely becoming familiar with the music to actually enjoying it. I don't greatly understand what happens or how.


Thanks, E. Instead of _'the fish began to swim into the net'_ I was tempted to type _'the machete worked its way through the thickets'_ instead, but that might have sounded unintentionally negative!

I'm pretty much in agreement with you on that, and for my part it's a mystery I'm quite happy to leave unsolved!


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

I guess I have to admit this as well:

I only discovered these works a few hours before making this thread. I was thinking about what piano quartet I wanted to play with friends (Brahms, Mozart, and Faure were my first thoughts and are still my top choices), and I realized I did not know too many quartets by well-known composers. So I looked at the list on Wikipedia... turns out there really aren't that many famous works or names there. I've actually heard of / listened to more piano quintets than quartets. I wonder why...

Anyway, that led to the discovery of these and the "Phantasy for Piano Quartet" by Frank Bridge.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

elgars ghost said:


> Of Max Reger's chamber works I'd say the two piano quartets are among the more challenging on first acquaintance - both were from his later period when I got the impression that he was at times on the verge of tying himself in knots by pushing chromaticism to its absolute limit, leading to ever-thickening textures (detractors would say things like 'impenetrable' and 'stodgy'). This was the kind of densely-packed late romantic music I initially used to baulk at, but with perseverance the fish began to swim into the net and I'm a card-carrying Reger fan these days.
> 
> For contrast, it's worth listening to the two serenades for flute, viola and violin ops. 77a and 141a and the two string trios ops.77b and 141b - they are shorter and with a Mozartian fleetness of foot, proving that Reger could lighten up when he needed to.
> 
> ...


I agree with this, and I also recommend those lovely Serenades, plus the Cello solo suites.


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