The Chamber Music News-A Blog

Welcome to our Blog, The Chamber Music News! Our quarterly online publication presents interesting articles about the music we publish, in more detail than you will find on the individual page. We hope that you will enjoy it, let us know. And, if you would like to see an article about a particular subject (related to what we publish) send us an email at editionsilvertrust@gmail.com

October-December 2020

The String Trios of Max Reger

Max Reger (1873-1916) was born in the small Bavarian town of Brand. He began his musical studies at a young age and his talent for composition became clear early on. His family expected him to become a school teacher like his father and to this end passed the necessary examinations for certification. However, before he landed his first teaching job, he met the eminent musicologist Hugo Riemann, who was so impressed by Reger�s talent that he urged him to devote himself entirely to music. Reger studied with him for nearly five years. By 1907 Reger was appointed to the prestigious position of Professor of composition at the Leipzig Conservatory. In addition to this he was widely regarded as one of the best living conductors and organists. In a career that only lasted 20 years, Reger wrote a prodigious amount of music in virtually every genre except opera and the symphony. Chamber music figures prominently within his oeuvre. He wrote two string trios.

The first, String Trio No.1 in a minor, Op.77b dates from 1904. In it, Reger is clearly moving tonality to its limits and then retreats back into the safe havens of romantic and classical melody. The opening movement begins with a brief, somewhat depressed and worried introduction reminiscent of late Beethoven. Then the tense main theme of the Allegro agitato literally explodes. Only briefly does the sun peek out of the clouds but then with the appearance of the lovely, lyrical second theme, all is sunny. The reflective second movement, Larghetto, is characterized by a deeply introspective quality. The brilliant third movement, Scherzo, vivace, is a humorous take off on the traditional German Dance. In the finale, Allegro con moto, Reger quotes a well-known theme from Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and then dresses it up in modern clothes. The second theme, wayward tonally, provides an beautiful contrast. For good measure, a march is thrown in before the satisfying and jovial finale.

String Trio No.2 in d minor, Op.141b appeared in 1915. The opening Allegro begins with a searching melody. Sadness and a sense of loss pervade this music. A second theme is somewhat brighter in mood. The middle movement, Andante sostenuto, is a theme and set of variations. The theme is, for Reger, particularly sweet and straight forward. The several variations (we present 2 in our sound-bite) show Reger's inventiveness and technical skill. The lively and upbeat theme of the finale, Vivace, harks back to Haydn. Its brilliant presentation is in fugal format. The melancholic second theme makes brief appearance but once before the return of main melody which leads to an exciting finish.

We highly recommend these works to professionals and amateurs. You can hear soundbites from both string trios by clicking on the links above. And all are available from Edition Silvertrust.