Max Reger – Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Beethoven, Op.86

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Piano : Zsuzsanna Kollár
Piano : Gabriella Láng
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Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and teacher. Born in Brand, Bavaria, Reger studied music in Munich and Wiesbaden with Hugo Riemann. In 1901 he settled in Munich, where he obtained concert offers and where his rapid rise to fame began. During his first Munich season, Reger appeared in ten concerts as an organist, chamber pianist and accompanist. He continued to compose without interruption. From 1907 he worked in Leipzig, where he was music director of the university until 1908 and professor of composition at the conservatory until his death. In 1911 he moved to Meiningen where he got the position of Hofkapellmeister at the court of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1915 he moved to Jena, commuting once a week to teach in Leipzig. He died in May 1916 on one of these trips of a heart attack at age 43. He had also been active internationally as a conductor and pianist.