Ernest
Bloch is remembered today primarily for his cello and orchestra
work, Schelomo. It remains a mystery why more of his
music isn’t performed with any regularity. His music is individual
enough, easy to absorb, and very colorful. Occasionally, one
gets to hear his first Concerto Grosso and Violin
Concerto, but not much else. The string quartets and Violin
Concerto ought to belong in the twentieth-century standard
repertoire, but such is not the case. Dalia Atlas, the conductor
of the recordings under review, has made a real effort to reverse
this, having done extensive research on Bloch and recorded nearly
20 of his orchestral works for ASV and Naxos. She also writes the informative program note in the booklet accompany
this CD. Admittedly, she greatly overstates Bloch’s importance
in the history of music by stating that Bloch was “recognized
and appreciated during his lifetime as a successor to Bach,
Beethoven, and Brahms.” Nevertheless, Bloch does not deserve
the general neglect he has received and this recording should
help the cause.
The
first work on this CD is the four-movement suite entitled Four
Episodes. It is scored for eleven instruments: string
quintet, wind quintet, and piano. The first movement, Humoresque
macabre, reminds me in its rhythmical element of
the first Concerto Grosso, which is scored for strings
and piano obbligato. The movement also contains a few wind solos
that have a Jewish flavor, typical of this composer’s works
of the period. The second movement, Obsession, consists
of a catchy tune and 24 continuous variations. The third movement,
Pastoral (as given in the booklet, but Calm on
back of the jewel case), lives up to its title with its wind
solos producing a nostalgic flavor. One of its themes is quite
similar to a tune in Kodály’s Peacock Variations. The
suite ends with a movement appropriately titled Chinese
with its use of the pentatonic scale.
Next
on the disc come Two Poems
that depict winter and spring, respectively. These are early
works and are more romantic than the others on the disc. They
are scored for full orchestra. Hiver (winter) is filled with sadness and
nostalgia, while Printemps (spring) is typically joyful, but contains a big orchestral climax
and then ends quietly. Both are lovely and rather Delian in
character.
The
disc’s third work is a three-movement Concertino for flute, viola, and strings. It uses modal scales as does the Suite Modale concluding the disc. These
are late pieces that show Bloch being true to himself. His style
remained primarily romantic, and his later works could be called
old-fashioned by the composer’s detractors. However, there is
something genuine about them that stays with the listener. The
Concertino begins with a haunting viola solo, but before long the flute joins
in dialogue with the viola and the strings. The second movement
is a contrasting Andante introduced by the lower strings and
then picked up by viola and flute with string accompaniment.
The third movement is a fugue with an intermezzo followed by
a concluding polka that ends the work in high spirits.
The
Suite Modale for flute and strings is a
four-movement work. It begins with a very oriental-sounding
flute solo and maintains its quiet modality throughout the first
two movements. The third movement, in A-B-A form, is a gigue
followed by a slower section with the gigue returning. The final
movement is nearly as long as the first three together. It consists
of two contrasted sections—an alternating Adagio and an Allegro,
with the movement ending quietly and wistfully. As a whole,
the suite is a mood piece, but it also provides the flute with
plentiful virtuosity.
All
the performances from the various groups are excellent and the
recorded sound is consistently superb. Special mention should
be made of flutist Noam Buchman, who has both the technique and
a beautiful tone. Yuri Gandelsman’s viola solos in the Concertino
are also praiseworthy, and Dalia Atlas
obviously has a real affinity for the music of Bloch. Again Naxos
has come up with a real winner that should make new converts to
Bloch’s music. If you think Bloch wrote only Schelomo, you should sample this disc.
Leslie Wright
see
also Review
by William Kreindler
