Max Reger

Requiem op. 144b

… one of the most beautiful things I have ever written, Max Reger said in 1915 about his last completed choral work, "Requiem." A distinctive feature: It is based not on the liturgical text, but on Friedrich Hebbel’s poem of the same name. The idea of eternal rest resonates here as well, though in a modified sense: the work addresses one’s own soul—it must not forget the dead, for only then will they be surrounded by "the sacred embers" of love. If, however, the memory is lost, "the storm of the night" seizes the departed. In his musical setting, Reger poignantly explores these contrasting spheres. The original instrumentation requires a large Romantic orchestra and a correspondingly large choir. For this reason, the work has been performed rather rarely to date, sometimes using Reger’s piano reduction as a substitute (Carus 52.943/00). Max Beckschäfer’s organ arrangement provides a solution: It incorporates the orchestral score and, for the first time, makes it possible to perform Reger’s "Requiem" with a reduced ensemble while remaining faithful to the original and its rich timbre. Original version: Solo A/Bar, Coro SSAATTBB, 3 flutes (III: flute/piccolo), 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, grand piano, Piatti, TT, 2 Vl, Va, Vc, Cb, Arrangement for organ: Solo A/Bar, Coro SSAATTBB, Org.