1. Munich
After the wild works of 1903, Reger appeases his publishers with the first volume of the Schlichte Weisen, Op. 76, of which six volumes totalling 60 songs will appear until 1912. The two works for trio, Op. 77, also bring a deliberate simplification with which Reger pays homage to Mozart.
In Felix Mottl, the new General Music Director of the Munich court opera and Director of the Akademie der Tonkunst, he gains an ally. He joins him as secretary in the newly founded local association of the ADMV, which also includes Max Schillings and Ludwig Thuille as chairman. The first concert of the local association on 29 April is exclusively dedicated to Reger’s works. But he makes few friends in press circles with his satire Zum 1. April (RWV Schriften A5), in which he imitates the bombastic tone of the Munich music magazines.
Since the beginning of the year he has been working on his first large symphonic work, which is begun under the title of Serenade, but then is retitled Sinfonietta, Op. 90. Sein Auftritt beim His performance at the Frankfurt Tonkünstlerfest of the ADMV on 31 May, at which he performs his Violin Sonata in C major, Op. 72, with Henri Marteau, brings a turning point in his life – from now on he is “resident in the railway carriage” (letter of 17 June to C.F. Peters) and is engaged for Reger recitals all over Germany and abroad.
After the Frankfurt success, he interrupts his work on the Sinfonietta, and starts to explore a new compositional field over the summer months: with the Bach Variations for solo piano, Op. 81, and the Beethoven Variations for two pianos, Op. 86, he creates two enthusiastically received masterpieces. While he never performs the solo work in public, the Beethoven Variations becomes his favourite bombastic concert finale throughout his life, with which he is able to convince even his sworn opponents.
Postal items from this year whose sender or addressee is Max Reger.
Images from the Max Reger Foto Gallery that originate from this year and have a direct reference to Max Reger.
Object reference
Max Reger Biography – 1904, in: Reger-Werkausgabe, www.reger-werkausgabe.de/bio_1904.html, last check: 21st November 2024.
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