Reger: Piano Concerto, 6 Intermezzi
Joseph Moog (piano)
Nicholas Milton / German Radio Philharmonic (Onyx)
(scroll down for English review)
穆格第二張新碟是雷格專輯，他已錄完兩首布拉姆斯鋼琴協奏曲，以前也錄過一兩首雷格作品，現在錄雷格《鋼琴協奏曲》也是意料之內，而且也跟了其中一張布拉姆斯的格式，用獨奏鋼琴曲去配協奏曲。
一向都想探索更多雷格的音樂，但他的作品寫得厚、長、悶，令人卻步，這次介紹穆格的雷格，又不算是為他平反，只是想簡略的說些想法。這首《鋼琴協奏曲》（軌一至三）鋼琴方面寫得很厚，簡直去到拉赫曼尼諾夫的程度，而且感情很深厚、很兩極。不過音符多、感情深之餘，卻沒有扣人心弦的旋律，這可能就是雷格的音樂，雖然令人感覺很有分量，但又很難打動到現代觀眾的原因。
《六首鋼琴間奏曲》（軌四至九）我覺得有趣得多，表面地聽，這六首小品都很輕鬆，完全沒有《鋼琴協奏曲》那種暴烈，但其實雷格還是火力全開，虐待演奏者，寫得很難，但聽起來仍然很輕盈，所以我還是覺得這套作品悅耳得來還是有深度的。和上張帕格里尼致敬專輯一樣，穆格也是揮灑自如，假如他再錄雷格，我還是會繼續虐待自己的。
Moog followed his Brahms piano concertos recording with this all-Reger album. Like in one of his Brahms concerto disc Moog filled out the album with a set of piano intermezzi.
The Piano Concerto (tracks 1-3) was surely a tour de force, the piano part was so thick hat I thought I was listening to Rachmaninov, and the passion can be readily compared to the Russian composer-virtuoso. Although a composer-virtuoso himself, Reger failed to give us memorable melodies on top of his volcanic emotions and superhuman virtuosity.
The op.45 Intermezzi (tracks 4-9) all sounded light-hearted, even frivolous, and miles apart from the Piano Concerto. Actually Reger tormented his performers with very difficult writing. But precisely that’s what made these pieces more than just cheerful melodies and the sense of virtuosity was very well hidden from innocent ears. As with his Paganini album Moog’s dexterity once again made him a worthy champion of Reger’s neglected piano music.