 He was awarded the National Prize and the Patriotic Order of Merit of the GDR as well as the Franz Liszt Prize of the Republic of Hungary.Shortly before his death the conductor got into public criticism, because he opened on 13 May 2006 together with a "Singleiterkurs" of the and held on this occasion two lectures with the titles "Das deutsche Volkslied als Mutterboden der Hochkultur" (The German folk song as the breeding ground of high culture) and "Anton Bruckner und die deutsche Volksseele" (Anton Bruckner and the German People's Soul) in front of the neo-fascist organization.Reuter did not deny having given these lectures, nor the personal contact to this organization.