REGER: PIANO MUSIC – MARC-ANDRE HAMELIN Hyperion

Variations and Fugue on a theme of Johann Sebastian Bach Op 81[31’20]
1
No 1 Theme: Andante[1’57]
2
No 2 Variation 1: L’istesso tempo[1’18]
3
No 3 Variation 2: Sempre espress. ed assai legato[1’12]
4
No 4 Variation 3: Grave assai[3’02]
5
No 5 Variation 4: Vivace[0’53]
6
No 6 Variation 5: Vivace[1’17]
7
No 7 Variation 6: Allegro molto[1’12]
8
No 8 Variation 7: Adagio[2’08]
9
No 9 Variation 8: Vivace[1’00]
10
No 10 Variation 9: Grave e sempre molto espressivo[3’07]
11
No 11 Variation 10: Poco vivace[0’54]
12
No 12 Variation 11: Allegro agitato[0’51]
13
No 13 Variation 12: Andante sostenuto[2’36]
14
No 14 Variation 13: Vivace[0’42]
15
No 15 Variation 14: Con moto[1’24]
16
No 16 Fugue: Sostenuto[7’47]
Five Humoresques Op 20[12’16]
17
Allegretto grazioso[1’50]
18
Presto – Andante – Presto[2’48]
19
Andantino grazioso[3’23]
20
Prestissimo assai[2’03]
21
Vivace assai[2’12]
Variations and Fugue on a theme of Georg Philipp Telemann Op 134[29’01]
22
No 1 Theme: Tempo di Minuetto[1’26]
23
No 2 Variation 1: L’istesso tempo[0’41]
24
No 3 Variation 2: L’istesso tempo[0’49]
25
No 4 Variation 3: L’istesso tempo. Scherzando[0’40]
26
No 5 Variation 4: L’istesso tempo[0’39]
27
No 6 Variation 5: Non troppo vivace[0’40]
28
No 7 Variation 6: Non troppo vivace[0’42]
29
No 8 Variation 7: Quasi tempo primo[0’50]
30
No 9 Variation 8: Tempo primo[0’35]
31
No 10 Variation 9: Non troppo vivace[0’55]
32
No 11 Variation 10: Quasi adagio[1’47]
33
No 12 Variation 11: Quasi adagio[1’39]
34
No 13 Variation 12: Poco vivace[0’41]
35
No 14 Variation 13: Tempo primo[0’38]
36
No 15 Variation 14: Meno vivace[0’56]
37
No 16 Variation 15: Andante[1’17]
38
No 17 Variation 16: Adagio[1’44]
39
No 18 Variation 17: Poco andante[1’10]
40
No 19 Variation 18: Tempo primo[0’43]
41
No 20 Variation 19: Poco vivace[0’53]
42
No 21 Variation 20: Poco vivace[0’50]
43
No 22 Variation 21: Poco vivace[0’48]
44
No 23 Variation 22: Vivace[0’51]
45
No 24 Variation 23: Poco andante. Molto adagio[2’28]
46
No 25 Fugue: Vivace con spirito[4’39]

Reger’s music is an amalgam of Bachian counterpoint and chromatic Romantic harmony—the result is writing of great density. This is particularly true of the ‘Bach’ Variations, Reger’s piano masterpiece. Hamelin’s superb virtuosity allows him to focus purely on the music, so keeping any sense of heaviness from infiltrating piano writing which, in other hands, can sound merely laboured.

The ‘Telemann’ Variations are much less chromatic, more decorative, and as a result are much closer to the Baroque concept of ‘variation’. Their virtuosity is more obvious, with many opportunities for the soloist to display his fingerwork.

The Five Humoresques reveal Reger in lighter mode. Here the inspiration is surely from Brahms.