Wagner-Regeny / Rundfunkchor Berlin / Kalitzke Genesis CD

Despite a certain inner distance to the Communist regime, Rudolf Wagner-R?geny was considered one of the most distinguished artistic personalities in East Germany. Karl B?hm and Herbert von Karajan were only two of the distinguished conductors to champion his music. Although he himself was not regarded as a stylistic pioneer, the way Wagner-R?geny took up and blended old and new elements formed a highly individual musical diction that might well be defined as a personal style. Genesis (1955/56) is a blend of oratorio and cantata. It was written prior to East Germany's ambivalent attitude towards the church. The latter represented the strongest opposition to the regime and was discriminated mainly during Walter Ulbricht's tenure as the chairman of the Central Committee.