Reger: Phantasie und Fuge uber B-A-C-H (arr. Stradal, p1910)

Firstly, I have to say that there are many mistakes. Still, I hope this performance became the reference for the professional pianist who take decent recording of this monstrous werke. I'd like to try it again someday. Phantasie: 0:03 Fuge: 6:29 It is interesting that the hardcore romantic works for piano were composed around 1900, fin de siecle: Piano Concerto by Busoni in 1904; Chopin etudes by Godowsky in c1904. And this transcription from the work of organ should be listed. This Phantasie und Fuge uber B-A-C-H fur orgel was performed for the first time in 1900 at Wesel cathedral by Karl Siegfried Straube. The first movement is rhapsodic, free and fast. The characteristic theme of B-A-C-H.is continuous sounded. The second movement is the fuge in 5 voices with BACH theme. Especially the second half is the double fugue. The tempo is strictly directed in details and ascending, leading to the impossible and insane. A bohemian pianist and arranger August Stradal (1860-1930) was one of the friends of Reger (it seems that Stradal was a German speaker), and his transcription was published from Universal Edition in 1910, in the lifetime of Reger. I guess that Stradal tried to promote this work and to make the work clear especially on tempo and voice layers. Piano is more convenient to play than organ and is located everywhere, and the sound is less abundant than organ but the voice lines is more clear. Still, this transcription is too hard to play, as my impression. There are a lot of insane passages, double notes, octaves, jumping, and the complex fugue in the impossible tempo. it is 500 times harder than the notorious works like Scherzo Focoso by Alkan (I know such kind of comparison is generally ridiculous, but I can't stop to do). Even on piano the last 2pages is impossible to play in tempo. I disguised it. Among the performances of the original version, this one by Rosalinde Haas in the 1970s is the best, on the side of tempo, I think.    • Max Reger - Fantasie und Fuge über B-A-C-H...   If you know the better please tell us here. And this MIDI-video with score of fugue was very useful for me.    • Max Reger Fugue Op. 46 over B-A-C-H  (shee...