Reger-Werkausgabe, Vol. II/4: Songs IV

The fourth volume of the Lieder und Chorwerke (Songs and Choral Works) from the Reger Hybrid Edition of Works (RWA) presents songs Max Reger composed between November 1903 and July 1905. In his Opus 75 songs, Reger set verses by classic German poets, such as Goethe and Hölderlin, as well as folksong texts in his usual avant-garde manner. In the 30 songs from the first two collections of the Schlichte Weisen, Op. 76, on the other hand, the composer distanced himself from his previous approach to songwriting by adopting a simpler, folk-like style. The popular Schlichte Weisen were also a concession to his publishers' wishes. The songs in Opus 88 were published not by Lauterbach & Kuhn but by Simrock, a firm more willing to accept music that departed from "Alltagsgeschmack" (everyday or popular taste). The four songs were dedicated to the mezzo-soprano Lula Mysz-Gmeiner.

In January 2008 the Max-Reger-Institut (MRI) in Karlsruhe began publishing a scholarly-critical edition of the works of Reger (RWA), supported by the Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature. As a Hybrid Edition, it is exploring new approaches in editorial techniques.

The digital offer belonging to the volume is published in an online portal.