Ernest Bloch - Symphony in C sharp minor; Poems of the Sea (Dalia Atlas)

Information

Composer: Ernest Bloch

• Symphony in C sharp minor
• Poems of the Sea

London Symphony Orchestra

Dalia Atlas, conductor

Date: 2011

Label: Naxos

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Review

Bloch’s epic Symphony in C-sharp minor emerged in 1900, when the composer was just 20. Conductor Dalia Atlas considers it to be the composer’s orchestral masterpiece, which is saying a lot, and she conducts it like she means it. The work is a big, romantic effusion requiring a typically large orchestra and lasting nearly an hour. Emotionally spontaneous, typically for this composer, and effectively structured in four big movements that employ cyclical form, you may detect similarities to Bruckner, Mahler, and Strauss. The opening of the scherzo especially seems to marry a recollection of Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony with the brass fanfares at the start of the finale of Mahler’s Second. It’s a blast.

The only serious competition for this work comes from Lev Markiz on BIS, also an excellent recording–a bit quicker in the long first movement, and slower in the Andante. There is certainly enough contrast between the two versions to make owning both more than worth your while. Atlas gets very good results from the London Symphony, with plenty of vigor in the quick music, and her comparatively flowing tempo in the Andante not only works well in isolation, it helps knit the overall structure together since one of the movement’s main themes reappears in the finale. Hearing it at this tempo makes it easier to recognize when it comes back later.

Poems of the Sea is a brief suite in three movements that admirably evokes its watery subject matter. Bloch was a true master of the orchestra, and his output is liberally sprinkled with short, effective works such as this that have been completely neglected (aside from the “Jewish” pieces, of course). Both performances are powerfully engineered by a team led by veteran James Mallinson working in Abbey Road, Studio 1. This is essential listening for collectors of great romantic symphonies.

— David Hurwitz

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Ernest Bloch (July 24, 1880 – July 15, 1959) was a Swiss-born American composer known for blending post-Romantic and neoclassical styles with Jewish musical themes. He studied in Switzerland and Belgium, taught at the Geneva Conservatory, and moved to the U.S. in 1916. Bloch became the first director of the Cleveland Institute of Music and later led the San Francisco Conservatory. He taught at UC Berkeley until retiring in 1952. Bloch's compositions, influenced by Debussy, Mahler, and Ravel, include Schelomo, Baal Shem, Avodath Hakodesh, Concerto Grosso No. 1, and Israel Symphony, among others.

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Dalia Atlas (born 14 November 1933 in Haifa) is an Israeli conductor. She studied in Jerusalem and abroad, and was first woman who won seven major international conducting competitions. Afterwards she returned to Israel and founded two touring orchestras to promote music nationwide for 28 years. At the Technion in Haifa, she led multiple music initiatives to inspire future scientists. Atlas has conducted around 72 orchestras globally, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and the London Symphony, and has a vast repertoire of about 750 works. Since 1996, she has focused on reviving Ernest Bloch's neglected music.

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