The Neglected Bloch

Is Earnest Bloch (1880-1959) one of the 20th century's most underrated composers? I think so, and his music is certainly not played often enough. Although he was born in Geneva Switzerland, he spent a good deal of his life in the United States and took his American citizenship in 1924. Some of his major works include: Schelomo ( Solomon ), a work performed by many of our greatest cellists, Suite Hebraique, Israel Symphony, and his Sacred Service. I was first introduced to Bloch's music through a recording of the Concerto Grosso no.1 for strings and piano with the Chicago Symphony conducted by Rafael Kubelik. The recording we listened to this morning featured the Kristiansand Chamber Orchestra and was recorded in Norway on the INTIM MUSIK label. Yes, I never heard of that label either but the sound is excellent and the recording also features the Concerto Grosso no.2 and another wonderful piece, the Four Temperaments by Paul Hindemith. The performances here are exemplary; look for it on Amazon. We now eagerly await a recording of Bloch's Symphony in E flat conducted by a Bloch specialist Dalia Atlas. I certainly don't expect to hear this piece any time soon in a concert hall. Stay Tuned.

A RARETY FROM KUSSY !

British music is not something you would expect to hear from Serge Koussevitzky but in fact he performed quite a lot of it including the American premiere of William Walton's " Belshazzar's Feast " in 1932. The CD we listened to this morning with our Kona coffee included a 1947 performance of the Vaughn Williams Symphony NO. 5 in D on the Guild Historical label along with the Tchaikovsky " Francesca da Rimini ". Kussy's recorded legacy is no where near as comprehensive as Toscanini's or Stokowski's but what he left us is evergreen. The live performance of the Vaughn Williams 5th shows all the earmarks of this great orchestra; voluptuous strings, beautiful woodwind playing and tight ensemble. The Tchaikovsky, which is paired with it, receives a splendid performance but one that is not quite as exciting as a live 1946 one on a now defunct  AS DISC cd. Good luck trying to find that one.