Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of J. S. Bach

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Even world-class virtuosos exhibit some hint of strain in these technically murderous works, but Hamelin sails through them with superhuman aplomb. Inevitably, a dimension of the music is lost, since struggle is central to Reger's concept. But there's so much more in compensation, as unhindered fluidity of movement and a refusal to allow technical limitations to dictate tempos give Hamelin the freedom to dig beneath the notes. He also disproves the stereotype of Reger's keyboard music as clotted, revealing these works to be shapely explorations of variation form. From the baroque models, Reger constructs a vast, complex edifice, which Hamelin elucidates with thrilling virtuosity and coherence. Excellent sound, too. A don't-miss CD for piano buffs and devotees of keyboard romanticism. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Theme Andante
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation I L'istesso tempo
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation II (sempre espress. ed assai legato)
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation III Grave assai
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation IV Vivace
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation V Vivace
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation Vl Allegro molto
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation VII Adagio
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation VIII Vivace
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation IX Grave e sempre molto espressivo
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation X Poco vivace
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation XI Allegro agitato
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation XII Andante sostenuto
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation XIII Vivace
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Variation XIV Con moto
Variations And fugue On A Theme Of Johann Sebastian Bach, Op 81: Fugue Sostenuto
Five Humoresques, Op 20: No 1 Allegretto grazioso - piu meno mosso - tempo primo
Five Humoresques, Op 20: No 2 Presto - Andante - Presto
Five Humoresques, Op 20: No 3 Andantino grazioso - Meno mosso -Tempo primo
Five Humoresques, Op 20: No 4 Prestissimo assai - Meno mosso - Prestissimo assai
Five Humoresques, Op 20: No 5 Vivace assai - Piu tranquillo -Tempo primo
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Theme Tempo di Minuetto
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation I (L'istesso tempo)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation II (L'istesso tempo)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation III (L'istesso tempo) (Sherzando)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation IV (L'istesso tempo)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation V (Non troppo vivace)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation VI (Non troppo vivace)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation VII (quasi Tempo primo)
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation VIII Tempo primo
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation IX Non troppo vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation X Quasi adagio
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XI Quasi adagio
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XII Poco vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XIII Tempo primo
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XIV Meno vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XV Andante
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XVI Adagio
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XVII Poco andante
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XVIII Tempo primo
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XIX Poco vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XX Poco vicace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XXI Poco vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XXII Vivace
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Variation XXIII Poco Andante - Molto adagio
Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Georg Philipp Telemann, Op. 134: Fugue Vivace con spirito - Meno mosso

Amazon.com

Even world-class virtuosos exhibit some hint of strain in these technically murderous works, but Hamelin sails through them with superhuman aplomb. Inevitably, a dimension of the music is lost, since struggle is central to Reger's concept. But there's so much more in compensation, as unhindered fluidity of movement and a refusal to allow technical limitations to dictate tempos give Hamelin the freedom to dig beneath the notes. He also disproves the stereotype of Reger's keyboard music as clotted, revealing these works to be shapely explorations of variation form. From the baroque models, Reger constructs a vast, complex edifice, which Hamelin elucidates with thrilling virtuosity and coherence. Excellent sound, too. A don't-miss CD for piano buffs and devotees of keyboard romanticism. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous and joyful artwork!.......2005-08-10

Most of the great audiences consider that Brahms -the late heir of a tradition initiated by Bach and followed by Beethoven (Goldberg and Diabelli)- reached the hitherto with the Variations genre. That obligates us to remind once more this sublime work, to my mind the most ambitious, robust and pyramidal piano work of this Swiss composer. Based on a "Tempo di Minuetto" theme from the B flat major suite in Part III of the "Tafelmusik". He wrote a huge sequence of 23 variations, uninhibited with technical difficulties and notorious effectiveness. The variations are arranged in growing order of importance.
Dedicated to the pianist James Kwast and introduced to the public on 10 March 1915 in Berlin.
Hamelin did it again. One of the most pyramidal, relevant and talented pianists in the world.!

Virtuosic and permanently satisfying also.......2004-03-18

There are pianists and then there is Marc-Andre Hamelin. This man's reputation for technical genius is justified, but he's got brains too. Which is only appropriate, as Reger's sheer braininess is his best-known characteristic.

Ordinarily I should have preferred a slightly more resonant recording than Hyperion's - if Hamelin's tonal palette didn't have such a Richter-like range, he would run the risk of dryness - but at least with such hyper-lucid sound you get to hear every, and I mean every, detail in a permanently satisfying manner. The playing is stunningly virtuosic. Hardly any other pianist in any era could play this music at all; no other pianist, it's safe to conclude, could play it better.

When I hear CDs like this one, I bend the knee to thank God that I have no ambitions of earning my living at the piano. Very illuminating booklet notes complete a superb package.

Outstanding, simply outstanding!.......2001-05-24

Reger's "Variations and Fugue on a Theme by G.P. Telemann" ranks as one of the finest large scale sets of piano variations ever composed. Interestingly, both the original theme and the set of variations represent the work of two highly prolific composers born nearly two centuries apart. The performance of this work, and its companions - "Variations and Fugue on a Theme by J.S. Bach" and five "Humoresques" - are interpreted with utmost sensitivity and intelligence by the Canadian born pianist, Marc-Andre Hamelin. The recording is outstanding in every way. An essential CD, even if this is the only Reger you have in your collection!

Hamelin-Reger?.......2001-03-13

Every classical music fan has a short list of "missing" ecordings -- dream pairings of artist and repertoire that for one reason or another, never materialized. Why, we ask, is there no pirate tape of Furtwangler conducting Beethoven's Missa Solemnis? Or, to go to my list, no Glenn Gould recording of Max Reger's monumental Variations And Fugue On A Theme Of Bach. Reger was a very serious German composer at the turn of the century with a Bach fixation that extended to writing six extended pieces for solo violin.

His piano music, which is playful in an academic way, leans towards variation sets and fugues, an odd place indeed to find Canadian pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin, a specialist in the strange byways of the romantic piano. This is a typically good-sounding Hyperion piano recording, and Hamelin's playing has a romantic richness of tone that I'm not sure is entirely appropriate to the music, but I was raised on the austerity of Rudolf Serkin's rather severe 1986 CBS recording. The coupling is a similarly grand traversal of the Telemann Variations, which to my ears lacks the playfulness of Jorge Bolet's London recording.

Confession of a Reger convert.......2001-01-12

One notable exception aside, my exposure to the music of Max Reger has never resulted in too pleasurable a response. I have tried the organ music, the orchestral music, the chamber music and the music for solo instruments. Every time Reger's blend of counterpoint, chromatism and its resulting tonal palette simply put me off. Jorge Bolet was responsible for the one exception. Around 1980 Decca issued a release of a coupling of Brahms' Haendel variations with Reger's Telemanns. Around that time Bolet was basking in the full glow of the indian summer of his career, and simply couldn't hit a wrong note. Moreover, Reger is on his best behavior in this set of variations. After this one success my teacher advised me to listen to Serkin's interpretation of Reger's Bach variations. I'm sorry to say that this simply didn't do it for me. In comes Marc-Andre Hamelin. After the joy he brought, and still brings on a weekly basis, with his Rzewsky variations, I decided to buy his Reger disc. I started with the Telemann variations and pulled out the score. To borrow a line from no lesser authority than the famous Swedish quartet: Mamma mia, here he goes again! As much as I liked Bolet's interpretation, this is Reger from a different planet. Not just overwhelming because of his technique, but more importantly because of the sense of architecture and continuity. Next were the Bach's variations. Here the idiom is "vintage Reger": chromatic, dense, sometimes to the point of utter opaqueness. Not with Hamelin. Aided by his unparalleled technique he just cuts through the habitual sonic grunge. The result is a great variation work, bearing some similarity to Liszt's Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen , variations. If Hamelin keeps on reinventing piano playing and repertoire at the current rate it shouldn't be long before we see his face appear on those "think differently" posters of that trendy hardware manufacturer. Five stars is way too little. A must.

Average customer rating:

HARDLY SCHIFFLESS!!!!!

Handel/Brahms/Reger

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000SRT
Release Date: 1995-10-03

Tracks:

Suite No.1 in B flat HWV 434: Prld
Suite No.1 in B flat HWV 434: Son
Suite No.1 in B flat HWV 434: Aria Con Vars
Suite No.1 in B flat HWV 434: Menuet
Vars And Fugue On A Theme Of G.F. Handel Op.24: Theme, Vars Nos. I-XXV
Vars And Fugue On A Theme Of J.S. Bach Op.81: Theme, Vars. I-XIV, Fugue

Customer Reviews:

HARDLY SCHIFFLESS!!!!!.......2003-09-09

Performances of spontaneous vitality, invention and depth grace this live recording by Andras Schiff at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in December of 1994, all caught in remarkably exciting, immediate and realistic sound--- and, happily, sans the usual audience "ambience," vocalise and jolting applause. In the Handel Suite [HWV 434], Schiff's opening, swirling Prelude figurations are ravishing and segue quite magically into the following Sonata movement, which just as delightfully launches the zesty Aria con Variazoni (from whence Brahms takes the theme for his own Op. 24). The Menuet offers thoughtful closure. In a heartbeat, without pause, Schiff summons the opening Aria of Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel--- leaping, as it were, from one century to the next in a split second. How brazen! Yet, in the pianist's hands, the temporal transition is innovative and never at musical odds. Schiff, whose studio recordings, to me, have always seemed a tad emotionally subdued, unfetters himself in this live session--- and it is telling. Brahms benefits every note along the way. As well, the formidable Reger Variations and Fugue on a Theme of J.S. Bach, Op. 81 allows Schiff even more psychological leeway--- nearly thirty-five minutes thereof--- and is a tour de force of imposing structure, scope, virtuosity and expressivity from which the pianist never flinches.

Tracks:

Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Thema: Andante
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: L'istesso Tempo
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Sempre Espress, Ed Assai Legato
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Grave Assai
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Vivace
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Vivace
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Allegro Moderato
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Adagio
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Vivace
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Grave E Sempre Molto Espressivo
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Poco Vivace
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Allegro Agitato
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Andante Sostenuto
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Vivace
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Con Moto
Var Und Fuge Uber Ein Thema Von J.S. Bach, Op. 81: Fuge: Sostenuto
Vier Spezialstudien: 1. Scherzo
Vier Spezialstudien: 2. Vivace
Vier Spezialstudien: 3. Romanze
Vier Spezialstudien: 4. Prld: Grave
Vier Spezialstudien: 4. Fuge: Moderato
Vier Spezialstudien: In Der Nacht: Sehr Aufgeregt Und Schnell
Vier Klavierstucke: 1. Improvisation
Vier Klavierstucke: 2. Perpetuum Mobile
Vier Klavierstucke: 3. Nachtstuck
Vier Klavierstucke: 4. Romanze

Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of G. P. Telemann O

Average customer rating:

Two Reger Classics Done as Well as Hamelin Does Them

Reger: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of G. P. Telemann O

Manufacturer: Globe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000508WB
Release Date: 2000-10-17

Customer Reviews:

Two Reger Classics Done as Well as Hamelin Does Them.......2003-11-25

For the last four or five years I've been impressed with a recording of this repertoire made by super-virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin. I've returned to it again and again, and have come to believe that these two large sets of variations are indeed masterworks. And I've assumed that no one could convey them as well as Hamelin.

When this CD came my way, I was not reluctant to listen to it exactly, but I would have to confess I was skeptical, thinking there was no way it could come up to the Hamelin recording.

But I was wrong. Kees Schul, a pianist of whom I'd never heard, has turned in two utterly convincing performances with every bit as much clarity of the sometimes clotted polyphony--a Reger hallmark--as Hamelin brings to it. Further, he manages to bring out the lightheartedness in, say, the 7th of the Telemann variations, in a way that actually surpasses that of Hamelin. He is also able to give appropriate weight and solemnity to such variations as the 9th of the Telemann set or 7th of the Bach. He plays the concluding fugue in each set quite spectacularly as well.

I'm very happy to have made Mr Schul's acquaintance and find I will now have to seek out others of his recordings. I see that he has recorded a Poulenc and a Richard Strauss song recital with Dutch soprano Suze van Grootel, also on the Globe label. I'd be inclined to suspect he is a sensitive accompanist.