RPO, Dalia Atlas, David Towse - Bloch: Symphony in E flat; Macbeth; 2 Interludes; 3 Jewish Poems; In Memoriam (1997) [Re-Up]

Posted By: Designol

Date: 22 Oct 2018 19:25:02

RPO, Dalia Atlas, David Towse - Bloch: Symphony in E flat; Macbeth; 2 Interludes; 3 Jewish Poems; In Memoriam (1997) [Re-Up]

This program includes some of the least known masterpieces from Ernest Bloch’s nearly 30 works for orchestra. Macbeth: Two Symphonic Interludes is an intoxicating and passionate distillation of Shakespeare’s powerful drama. In Memoriam is a brief elegy dedicated to the pianist Ada Clement, while the Three Jewish Poems were written when Bloch was mourning the death of his father. Originally conceived as a third concerto grosso, Bloch’s last Symphony, in E flat major, is at times emotionally turbulent and deeply spiritual work containing passages of harmonic acerbity.

First, an alert to film buffs. Anyone schooled in the stylistic manners of Korngold, Steiner or Alfred Newman will likely gravitate to the Act 1 and Act 3 Interludes of Bloch’s only opera, Macbeth (1910). True, the writing recalls the Richard Strauss of the period (not to mention the teenage Korngold’s recent triumphs), but premonitions of film-scores-to-come are more vivid still – both in terms of orchestration and in the evocative harmonic-melodic slant of Bloch’s ideas. How strange that contemporary critics spoke of “barbaric” music, “an indecipherable rebus”, “noise for the sake of noise” – the sort of vapid invective one normally associates with early Stravinsky or Prokofiev.

This big, extravagant orchestral writing is equally apparent in the Three Jewish Poems (1913), music that Bloch himself premiered with the Boston Symphony and that – 6'59'' into the “Cortege funebre” third movement – hints at yet another Hollywood master, John Williams this time, and Close Encounters in particular. The first piece is cast in modal dress and recalls similar compositions by Enescu: solo strings and woodwinds are gainfully employed throughout (both Schelomo and the Violin Concerto come to mind), but it is the fulsome profile of Bloch’s big tutti that lingers longest in the memory.

By contrast, the relatively late miniature In Memoriam (1952, completed on Christmas Eve in memory of the pianist Ada Clement) is serenely simple: the hymn-like nature of much of the piece is reminiscent of Nielsen, and the scoring is refreshingly economical. The E flat Symphony (1954-5) is again leaner, drier, more thematically economical (a handful of motifs come and go like familiar signposts) and more rhythmically driven than the earlier pieces, though both the opening and closing sections of the work conjure up a mood of sad tranquillity and the brief Andante slow movement is perhaps the most beautiful music on the CD.

Dalia Atlas Sternberg and the RPO ride the vast tonal waves of Macbeth and the Jewish Poems with only a few rocky moments (mostly concerning ensemble) to worry perfectionists, while the In Memoriam and the Symphony are sensitively handled by all concerned. I note that Atlas Sternberg plans to record more Bloch, and if this particular programme is anything to go by, future instalments should generate much enthusiasm among lovers of late-romantic repertoire. Brian Culverhouse’s recording employs the generous acoustic of St Barnabas Church, Finchley to fine effect.

Review by Gramophone

Ernest Bloch at Allmusic
Ernest Bloch at Wiki

Dalia Atlas Website

David Towse, violin
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Dalia Atlas, conductor

Recorded in: St. Barnabas Church, Mitcham, Surrey, 14-15 October 1996

Tracklist:

Macbeth (1904/9) - Two Interludes
01. Act 1 [5.53]
02. Act 3 [7.32]

Three Jewish Poems (1913)
03. Danse (Poco animato) [8.00]
04. Rite (Calmo - Andante moderato) [7.05]
05. Cortège funèbre (Lento assai) [9.10]

06. In Memoriam (1952) [4.27]

Symphony in E flat (1954/5)
07. First movement: Tranquillo - Allegro deciso [9.03]
08. Second movement: Allegro [4.18]
09. Third movement: Andante [5.27]
10. Fourth movement: Allegro deciso [6.04]

EAC log

Exact Audio Copy V1.1 from 23. June 2015

EAC extraction logfile from 26. November 2016, 0:08

Bloch, Ernest / Symphony in E flat, Maccbeth - 2 Interludes, 3 Jewish Poems, In Memoriam

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Gap handling : Appended to previous track

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TOC of the extracted CD

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9 | 56:19.32 | 5:30.55 | 253457 | 278261
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Track 6

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Track 7

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Track 8

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Track 9

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No errors occurred

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–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.6

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Track | CTDB Status
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4 | (4/4) Accurately ripped
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6 | (4/4) Accurately ripped
7 | (4/4) Accurately ripped
8 | (4/4) Accurately ripped
9 | (4/4) Accurately ripped
10 | (4/4) Accurately ripped

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DR log

foobar2000 1.2 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-02-07 22:39:22

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Analyzed: Bloch, Ernest / Symphony in E flat • Maccbeth - 2 Interludes • 3 Jewish Poems • In Memoriam - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Dalia Atlas Sternberg
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR12 -1.88 dB -19.47 dB 6:01 01-Macbeth - Interlude Act 1
DR10 -0.97 dB -17.20 dB 7:40 02-Macbeth - Interlude Act 3
DR12 -1.35 dB -19.69 dB 8:08 03-Three Jewish Poems - I. Danse (Poco animato)
DR12 -1.06 dB -20.44 dB 7:13 04-Three Jewish Poems - II. Rite (Calmo - Andante moderato)
DR11 -1.10 dB -18.00 dB 9:18 05-Three Jewish Poems - III. Cortège funèbre (Lento assai)
DR11 -1.71 dB -19.99 dB 4:35 06-In Memoriam
DR13 -0.94 dB -20.52 dB 9:03 07-Symphony in E flat - First movement: Tranquillo - Allegro deciso
DR14 -3.18 dB -22.02 dB 4:22 08-Symphony in E flat - Second movement: Allegro
DR14 -3.36 dB -24.33 dB 5:31 09-Symphony in E flat - Third movement: Andante
DR13 -0.16 dB -18.68 dB 6:07 10-Symphony in E flat - Fourth movement: Allegro deciso
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Number of tracks: 10
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate: 44100 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 16
Bitrate: 583 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================

All thanks to original releaser - quivive

More interesting music in My Blog

Ernest Bloch - America; Concerto Grosso No.1 (2012)
Seattle Symphony, conducted by Gerard Schwarz; Patricia Michaelian, piano