Genesis: Mythological Figures

Despite being inwardly distanced from the Communist regime of his time, Rudolf Wagner-Régeny was considered one of the most distinguished artistic personalities in East Germany. Karl Böhm and Herbert von Karajan were just two of the distinguished conductors to champion his music. Although Wagner-Régeny himself was not regarded as a stylistic pioneer, the way he adopted and blended old and new musical elements gave him a highly individual voice. Genesis (1955/56) is a blend of oratorio and cantata. It was written prior to East Germany's ambivalent attitude towards the Church, the organisation that represented the strongest opposition to the regime and met with discrimination, mainly during Walter Ulbricht's tenure as chairman of the Central Committee.