Review: Exquisite Ernest Bloch Orchestral Music on Capriccio

Comments · 19

• AN

  @andrewfeinberg877 · 4 years ago

  I've loved this disc for a few years now.  I still feel Sloane is quite an underrated conductor.  Really worth seeking.

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• AL

  @AlexMadorsky · 4 years ago

  Certainly the 20th-century’s best neglected American composers, who should be recognized as one of the great composers of his era without any qualification.  So many of his works above and beyond Schelomo are concert-hall worth and deserving of regular performance.

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• ST

  @steveschwartz8944 · 4 years ago

  Thank you for this. One of the things I enjoy about your talks is that they send me back to music I haven't heard in a while. I discovered Bloch early on -- the Schelomo with Rose and Mitropoulos -- and was immediately hooked, compelled to buy as much as I could. Macbeth I think the greatest Shakespeare opera, and I haven't forgotten Verdi, Britten, or Vaughan Williams.

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• MA

  @martinhaub2602 · 4 years ago

  What a fine composer and how sad that about the only thing we ever get is the magnificent Schelomo. His Symphony in C sharp minor is one of my favorite symphonies ever written. You should do a talk on it.

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• JI

  @jimcochran1408 · 4 years ago

  Could not agree more. Time for a complete Bloch edition. Why not Sloan and this orchestra?

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• HA

  @hallingerman2168 · 3 months ago

  You&apos;re absolutely right in voicing the view that Ernest Bloch is a fabulous composer whose music has not been sufficiently lifted up and played as often as it should be.<br>These pieces are terrific. I have them scattered on various cds, but this collection under Sloane is especially thrilling and deep. &nbsp;Thank you.<br>I especially love Bloch&apos;s gorgeous Prayer the first movement of (From Jewish Life) for cello (or violin) and orchestra. Also Stokowski conducting America: an Epic Rhapsody.

• ST

  @stangilliam · 1 year ago

  Glad to hear you praising Bloch&apos;s music. &nbsp;A few years ago I discovered that my piano teacher, Jan P. Schinhan, was hired by Bloch about 1925 to teach organ at the San Francisco Conservatory, so I am somewhat proud of the association. &nbsp;Schinhan performed weekly organ recitals at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in SF for years. &nbsp;Unlike many 20th century composers, Bloch seems to have been a well adjusted person who enjoyed and employed many musical methods and styles, not being overly concerned with always &nbsp;being on the cutting edge. &nbsp;Thanks for your great reviews.

• B1

  @b1i2l336 · 4 years ago

  I agree with you about Bloch.

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• ME

  @MegaVicar · 4 years ago

  I’m glad you cover these neglected composers. It seems Capriccio Records specializes in these neglected artists.

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• ST

  @stevenmsinger · 4 years ago

  This looks lovely. I will definitely give it a look in. I see there&apos;s another disc on Capricco with similar forces playing the Suite Hebraique, Baal Shem, 3 Jewish Poems and others.

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• WA

  @waltersimmons4222 · 2 years ago

  I totally agree that Bloch is perhaps the greatest/most unjustly neglected composer of his generation. As great as his Jewish works, such as the Sacred Service and Schelomo, may be, his more &quot;secular&quot; works are just as good. And, like Brahms, his chamber works are the equal of his orchestral works. His two sonatas for violin and piano, his two piano quintets, and several of his string quartets are masterpieces. And one gorgeous orchestral piece that no one seems to mention is his three Evocations of 1937. These works alone should be enough to warrant a major re-assessment.

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• KY

  @kylejohnson8877 · 4 years ago

  Totally agree with you about Bloch’s status as a major yet woefully neglected composer. If his works (aside from the great “Schelomo”) ever did get performed in concert, I can only imagine all the “woke” folks accusing Bloch of “cultural appropriation” due to the frequent “Asian” influence in his music….

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