Song transcriptions have long been a staple of the piano repertory, but Rudolf Buchbinder’s new album presents something of a rarity: lieder by Brahms arranged by Max Reger. Given the combination of Brahms and Reger, you might understandably expect transcriptions of Godowskian proportions, complex and dense textures, harmonic experimentation and fearful technical difficulty – but you’d be wrong. Reger was apparently so in awe of Brahms that he adds almost nothing of himself to the process of transcription, leaving Brahms’s piano accompaniments virtually untouched, weaving the vocal line into the texture.

These are arrangements rather than transcriptions in the conventional sense, reverential certainly, but the results are ever so slightly dull. It reminded me of the keyboard harmony lessons I endured as a student at the Royal Academy of Music, reading songs on three staves to give a singer an idea of how the vocal line fits with the accompaniment. Of course, Buchbinder is a great artist and plays these pieces beautifully – although I wasn’t always convinced that he phrases as a singer would breathe – but after 10 song arrangements I was itching to hear the originals. Brahms’s songs are highly personal creations and although the accompaniments are often quite dense, the contrast with the vocal line lightens and lifts the texture so that the piano supports rather than dominates the voice. In these Reger arrangements, the effect seems to me to be rather stodgy and less than the sum of its parts.

As an illustration (it might not be to all tastes), try comparing Percy Grainger’s superbly imaginative and highly idiomatic transcription of ‘Wiegenlied’ (‘Cradle Song’ in Grainger’s ‘blue-eyed’ English) with Reger’s texturally accurate but pianistically underwhelming version and you may appreciate my point. As always, Buchbinder’s playing is thoughtful and intelligent, and it is certainly interesting to hear these Reger arrangements. But ultimately it is better to find a good recording of a great singer and a sensitive collaborative pianist and enjoy the originals. The sound and presentation are up to DG’s usual excellence.

Reger Lieder von Johannes Brahms

Rudolf Buchbinder pf

DG 486 4842

This review originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of International Piano. Never miss an issue – subscribe today