Reger was seen as a champion of absolute music and was, at one point, considered hostile to program music and the legacies of Wagner and Liszt.
Composer Biography
Max Reger's early interest in music was inspired by his father, a schoolmaster and amateur musician.
Composer Biography
Reger was a pupil of Hugo Riemann, a prominent music theorist, first in Sondershausen and then as Riemann's assistant in Wiesbaden.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Max Reger, though Catholic, drew heavily on the Lutheran tradition and its chorales for inspiration in his organ works.
Recording & Production
The organist on this recording, Martin Welzel, has also performed on Volumes 6 and 8 of this series, earning praise as 'authoritative' from American Record Guide.
Composer Biography
In 1911, Max 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.
Critical Reception
Max Reger is regarded by many as the greatest German composer of organ music since J.S. Bach.
