Max Reger: Four Tone Poems after Böcklin; Romantic Suite Gävle Symphony Orchestra & Jaime Martín

• Max Reger (1873 - 1916): Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128:
• 1 Reger: Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128: I. The Hermit Fiddler (Der geigende Eremit) 09:28
• 2 Reger: Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128: II. In the Play of the Waves (Im Spiel der Wellen) 04:22
• 3 Reger: Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128: III. The Isle of the Dead (Die Toteninsel) 09:25
• 4 Reger: Four Tone Poems after Arnold Böcklin, Op. 128: IV. Bacchanal 04:57
• Romantic Suite, Op. 125:
• 5 Reger: Romantic Suite, Op. 125: I. Notturno. Molto sostenuto 09:20
• 6 Reger: Romantic Suite, Op. 125: II. Scherzo. Vivace 08:01
• 7 Reger: Romantic Suite, Op. 125: III. Finale. Molto sostenuto 11:03
• Total Runtime 56:36

Info zu Max Reger: Four Tone Poems after Böcklin; Romantic Suite

Dieses Album enthält zwei der schönsten Orchesterwerke von Max Reger, die er gegen Ende seines Lebens komponierte: die »Vier Tondichtungen nach Arnold Böcklin« und die »Romantische Suite«, beides sinnliche und poetische Werke, die eine lose Verbindung zu Claude Debussy andeuten. 2023 wurde der 150. Geburtstag von Reger gefeiert, dessen Musik nur sehr selten auf Konzertprogrammen zu finden ist. Zu Lebzeiten wurde er hoch geschätzt: Paul Hindemith bezeichnete ihn als »den letzten Riesen der Musik«, und als Arnold Schönberg 1918 seine Gesellschaft für private Musikaufführungen gründete, gehörte Max Reger neben Debussy und Béla Bartók zu den am häufigsten aufgeführten Komponisten. Schönberg bewunderte Reger als wichtigen Innovator und förderte seine Musik, weil »er noch immer unbekannt ist« und»'ich ihn für ein Genie halte«.

Das 1912 gegründete Gavle Symphony Orchestra blickt auf eine lange und spannende Geschichte zurück: Seit seiner Gründung spielt es eine bedeutende Rolle in der schwedischen Musikszene. Das Orchester widmet sich mit gleicher Neugier und Hingabe einem Repertoire, das vom Barock bis zur neuesten zeitgenössischen Musik reicht. Durch eine Reihe von gefeierten Aufnahmen hat das Orchester auch viele ältere schwedische Komponisten ins Rampenlicht gerückt und ihnen die verdiente Anerkennung verschafft. Der spanische Dirigent Jaime Martín ist seit 2022 Dirigent des Melbourne Symphony Orchestra und war zuvor Chefdirigent des National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (2019–2024), erster Gastdirigent des Spanischen Nationalorchesters (2022-2024) sowie künstlerischer Leiter und Chefdirigent des Gävle Symphony Orchestra (2013-2022). Nachdem er viele Jahre als hoch angesehener Flötist tätig war, wandte sich Jaime 2013 ganz dem Dirigieren zu und war bald weltweit gefragt.

Gävle Symphony Orchestra
Jaime Martín, Dirigent

The Gävle Symphony Orchestra
is one of the oldest in Sweden, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012. The conductor and composer Ruben Liljefors was the orchestra’s first artistic director, with 25 musicians at his disposal. Over the years, the orchestra has grown to 52 full-time members. Based chiefly at the Gävle Concert Hall, the orchestra tours regularly, both in its home province and elsewhere in Sweden, Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. Since its inception, the Gävle Symphony Orchestra has had a succession of distinguished principal conductors, including Stig Westerberg, Rainer Miedel, Göran W. Nilson, Hannu Koivula, Carlos Spierer, Petri Sakari and Robin Ticciati. The Spanish conductor Jaime Martín has been the orchestra’s principal conductor and artistic leader since 2013. Since 1998 the orchestra’s home has been the Gävle Concert Hall, regarded as one of Sweden’s best, where the excellent acoustics are preferred by the orchestra, guest artists and ensembles making recordings. The orchestra’s discography lists recordings of works by composers Bo Linde, Wilhelm Stenhammar, Franz Berwald, Hugo Alfvén, Edvard Grieg, Dmitry Shostakovich, Carl Nielsen and Sven-David Sandström.

Jaime Martín
has risen quickly to international acclaim as a conductor following his prominent career as a flautist. Recently announced as Music Director Designate of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he begins his tenure in September 2019. In 2013, he became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Gävle Symphony Orchestra. He is also Chief Conductor of Orquestra de Cadaqués and Artistic Director of the Santander International Festival.

Upcoming debuts include subscription performances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony and Gulbenkian orchestras. He will also bring the Gavle Symphony Orchestra to the Concertgebouw and tour throughout Switzerland with the Orquestra de Cadaqués.

Highlights of Martín’s 17/18 season included the opening of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra season with Joshua Bell as soloist, debuts with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Bilbao Symphony, Essen Philharmonic and Bordeaux orchestras, and returns to the New Zealand Symphony, RTE Symphony and Swedish Radio Symphony orchestras.

Since turning to conducting only five years ago, he has worked with an impressive list of orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfònica de Barcelona, Philharmonia, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RTVE Orchestra in Madrid, Orchestre National du Capitol de Toulouse, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, London Mozart Players, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Ulster Orchestra and Winterthur Orchestra.

Martín made his operatic debut conducting The Magic Flute at El Escorial Madrid and San Sebastian Festival in August 2012. He made his debut at the English National Opera in February 2013 conducting The Barber of Seville and returned in autumn 2014 for The Marriage of Figaro.

Martín’s recordings include the Brahms Serenades with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra for Ondine as well as Songs of Destiny, a recording of Brahms choral works with the Gävle Symphony and Eric Ericson choir. He has also recorded Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, Montsalvatge’s Petita Suite Burlesca, Halffter’s Sinfonietta and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 with Orquestra de Cadaqués. In 2015 he recorded James Horner’s last symphonic work; “Collages” for four horns and orchestra.

Solo recordings include Mozart concertos with Sir Neville Marriner, a premiere recording of the Sinfonietta Concerto for Flute and Orchestra written for him by Xavier Montsalvatge and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, Bach works for flute, violin, and piano with Murray Perahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields for Sony, and Mozart’s flute quartet for EMI.

Born in Santander, Spain, Jaime Martín studied with Antonio Arias in Madrid and with Paul Verhey in The Hague, Holland.

Booklet für Max Reger: Four Tone Poems after Böcklin; Romantic Suite