9 Bunte Blatter for Piano, Op. 36
No. 1. Humoreske
This immediately sounds to me like someone with the attention deficiencies of Haydn composing with romantic tones and colors. I quite enjoy the music, and the sudden changes in character make it quite enjoying to listen to.
No. 2. Albumblatt
This piece displays an excellent contrast between the A and B sections. The A section consists of slurred and tied chords, whereas the B section consists of staccato scales. The chromaticism is very well placed here.
No. 3. Capriccietto
The pianistic effects used here are very masterfully crafted. The flowing sections are short but very heartfelt.
No. 4. Reigen
Reger’s use of the upper register is very enjoyable. At this point he seems to me to be the complete opposite of Brahms, seeing as how he favors the upper registers and changes musical ideas at an extremely frequent rate.
No. 5. Gigue
The fugal construction of this Gigue is very enjoyable to listen to, and is in no way too complicated for the average listener to enjoy. The theme is notably similar to the italian song “Che Fierro Costume”.
No. 6. Elegie
I really enjoy Reger’s use of the hemiola in this piece. That is to say I honestly do not enjoy most of Brahms’ use of it, seeming as though they were composed for the sake of being complex. Reger uses the hemiola to carry out ultimate expressivity, and if I were not following the score I probably wouldn’t notice them.
No. 7. Valse-Impromptu
My main question while listening to this piece pertains to the significance of the meno mosso section. The rest of the piece sounds very waltz like, especially in Regers method of bringing out beat two in the left hand. However, the meno mosso section seems to disolve any dance-like tendencies. I would assume that this section has some sort of programmatic nature pertaining to the scene of the dance, though I am not sure what it would be.
No. 8. Capriccio
This piece seems to have something for everybody in terms of technique. Regers’ use of quick changes is surprisingly effective. This piece seems to me like a summary of a larger work, almost like a movie preview that is more enjoyable in its condensed version than the movie itself.
No. 9. Reverie
The use of dissonance in this final piece is very emotional. The chromaticism seems to flow almost unnoticed as if it were the landscape behind a lone singer. I enjoy that Reger chooses to end the set with a slow piece that seems to be the longest and most out of character compared to the rest of the set.
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