# Reger - String Quartet 1 op.54 (SQ review)



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Max Reger wrote a great deal of chamber music in a relatively short career and his 1st String Quartet was written at the turn of the 20th century. The opening movement, Allegro agitato is dense, agitated and all the instruments are given equal importance and time to shine. This is a tricky movement to get right so that textures don't become congested and clogged but with such densely scored parts it invariably does feel a bit hectic at times. The second movement, is much different. Its a Vivace assai - a driving scherzo that is jovial and rustic in equal measure. The emotional drama of the Largo mesto creates a hazy, dreamy atmosphere which is really enjoyable and deeply moving (as TC member Mandryka quite rightly points out "have your hankie ready to wipe away a tear"). For me it is the best movement of the quartet and could sound schmaltzy if vibratoed to death but no-one does that in their recordiing (phew). The finale, Prestissimo assai, is much lighter in mood, and fugal in nature, in which the theme is developed and deconstructed. This is an excellent conclusion to a very nice, if a little densely textured (in parts), quartet and in years gone by both the 2nd and 4th movements were used in encores for standard repertoire quartets, but rarely today. 
There are only a handful of recordings of this enjoyable quartet. I'm ruling out the Tel Aviv recording as their ensemble playing is shaky and the whole recording is not up to the quality of the competition here. Happily the rest are all recommendable at least. This is the best of Reger’s first 3 quartets, IMO. 


*Recommended*

The *Berner* Quartet play with enthusiasm and an obvious love for this quartet but the over-reverberant, slightly distant sound means that already congested sections become messy and unfocused. There's certainly nothing 'bad' about the recording, and they produce a nice thick sound that has great volume and would be better in sparser quartets, but others are preferable in both sound (especially) and ensemble here. 
Unfortunately I only got to listen to an LP rip of the *Reger Quartet'*s 1973 Vox traversal (long OOP) but this is a set that's long overdue a remaster and reissue. Although the broadest in the Largo, they play with poise, urgency and enthusiasm and the first violin tone is pleasantly sinewy and yet smooth. They may not be, technically, the best here and there's the odd moment of slightly iffy intonation but they clearly relish this music. 

*Top Picks *

The *Mannheimer* Quartet have MDG's more reliable, natural soundstage to work with and offer a reading that's high on small details and quite dynamic. Textures work well, especially in the tricky 1st movement. It's a fine account that is very persuasively played and only you can decide whether you prefer this approach and sound or the Drolc recording below. An impressive recording from a fine cycle. 

When I last visited the *Drolc* cycle, from my CD racks, it was to review their 4th Quartet performance and I found them a little more staid. However, they're much more persuasive here and get enough of the detail without becoming bogged down. Their slow movement is the shortest yet they don't rush and produce a full, almost symphonic sound in the Largo whilst letting the 2nd and 4th movements bounce joyously. Threatened at knife point I may prefer this one marginally at the moment but ask me another day and I could recommend the Mannheimer. Either way you won't be disappointed with both of these efforts 

I must admit I'd love one of today's top quartets (Artemis would be a great choice) to produce a cycle of Reger quartets. One of the most obvious candidates, and a perfect fit other than the Artemis, would be the Leipziger Streichquartett but with one set already on MDG (Mannheimer) that doesn't seem likely in the near future (saying that the same thing has happened with their Raff recordings).


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