Hindemith: Symphonic Metamorphoses; Reger: Hiller Variations - Dennis Russell Davies, Staatsorchester Stuttgart

hindemith reger liner notes

However one defines counterpoint, and in whatever language, most listeners would agree that Max Reger and Paul Hindemith were two of its masters. Few composers of this century have been so concerned with matching note for note, phrase for phrase, into an intricately woven musical matrix. Both men achieved an unassailable mastery of their craft -- whether one likes them or not, Reger's works are impressive, cathedral-like constructions, while Hindemith was said to be able to play every single part in every one of his compositions. Their musical inspiration, on the other hand, that essential but all but undefinable element that goes above and beyond craftsmanship, has occasionally been denounced in unusually strong terms.