Wednesday, May 11, 2016

concert review: Reger's Yahrzeit

Finding myself in the vicinity of UC Santa Barbara today, twas to its library I went to perform some necessary research. Having finished in the main library, I headed over towards the music library, but I never got there.

On a board outside the music building was a poster for a concert in honor of Max Reger, the centenary of whose death was, I learned, this very day. And the concert was beginning five minutes from now in the hall whose doors I could see in front of me.

Once again, I concluded that the muses were sending me a message, so I joined another 15 or so connoisseurs for two hours of Reger chamber music - ranging from a quintet for clarinet and strings to a piece for unaccompanied viola - plus a set of songs. A couple of these were about cats and were mildly amusing in a ponderously German manner.

I didn't leave any fonder of Reger's music than when I went in, but this modicum of respect he deserved.

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