Rudolf Wagner-Régeny

Rudolf Wagner-Régeny (1903, Szászrégen, Austria-Hungary (now Reghin, Romania) – 1969, Berlin) was a composer, conductor, and pianist. Born in Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, since 1920 Romania, he became a German citizen in 1930, and then East Germany after 1945.

From 1919–1920 he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and then at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik from 1920–1923. He served as chorusmaster at the Berlin Volksoper from 1923–1925. In 1927 joined Laban's dance company where he conducted productions for three years. In 1947 he became the director of the Rostock Hochschule für Musik where he stayed until he was appointed professor of composition at the East Berlin Academy of Arts in 1950. He left the academy in 1968 when he became ill and died a year later.

As a composer, Wagner-Régeny wrote numerous symphonic works and chamber works. He composed 12 operas of which Die Bürger von Calais (1936), Johanna Balk (1938), Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1958) (cf. "The Mines of Falun") and Prometheus (1959) are considered his best work. His 1958 ballet Tristan is also greatly admired.

Works

Stage works
Instrumental music
Vocal music

Sources