When one thinks of Max Reger's organ music, his intensely chromatic and densely textured fugues are the first examples to come to mind, especially his imposing Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H. Yet there are several smaller, simpler pieces of a more casual nature that are sampled on
Robert Benjamin Dobey's 2006 album, The Intimate Reger. Not all the selections here were intended to be informal or low-key: the opening Consolation, Op. 65/4, and several of the chorale preludes are typical products of Reger's elaborate invention and serious-minded counterpoint, and because of their religiosity, they seem more appropriate in a solemn liturgical setting than on a recital of light music. However, the Pastorale, the Romanze, and the Gigue, along with
Dobey's transcriptions of the Moderato from Aus meinem Tagebuch, along with the "Albumblatt" and the Scherzo from Six Piano Pieces, are much lighter than might be expected of Reger, and have sentimental or humorous qualities that are usually lacking in the large-scaled works.
Dobey has a fine ear for choosing the right stops to give this music the sweet moods and poignant timbres they require, and he supplies a tasteful rubato to the most emotionally charged passages. Whether or not this kind of organ music comes across as intimate is left to the listener to decide, but when this album is heard in one sitting, some of the charm of the miniatures is lost, due mostly to the weightier offerings and the arrangement of the program; and while Reger's "private" pieces are certainly worth hearing once, their thin musical value does not invite repeated listening. The recorded sound of the Schoenstein organ of Grace Episcopal Church of Sheboygan, WI, is exceptionally clear in details but also warmly resonant.