Reger, M.: Organ Works, Vol. 5

Featuring

Stefan Frank
Max Reger

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Max Reger was considered a champion of absolute music and, at one point, was seen as hostile to program music and the legacies of Wagner and Liszt.

Composer Biography

In 1911, Reger was invited by the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen to conduct the court orchestra, an ensemble previously led by Hans von Bülow and Richard Strauss.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Max Reger, a Catholic, frequently drew inspiration from the Lutheran tradition and its rich store of chorales for his organ compositions.

Composer Biography

Max Reger's early interest in music was inspired by his father, a schoolmaster and amateur musician, and he received his initial training from town organist Adalbert Lindner.

Performer Biography

Stefan Frank, the German organist on this recording, studied with Martha Schuster and Edgar Krapp at the Munich Music and Theatre Hochschule, receiving a masterclass diploma summa cum laude.

Composer Biography

Reger's early compositions were sent by his teacher, Adalbert Lindner, to Hugo Riemann, who then accepted Reger as a pupil and later as his assistant.

Critical Reception

The high regard for Reger's organ compositions, even during his lifetime, was greatly due to the advocacy of Karl Straube, an organist at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.