Bloch: Symphony in C-Sharp Minor & Poems of the Sea
3/3/2014, 7 Tracks, 1:08:06
Featuring
Dalia Atlas
London Symphony Orchestra
Ernest Bloch
Did you know?
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Composition History
Bloch wrote two versions of Poems of the Sea in 1922, one for piano and one for a large orchestra, inspired by Walt Whitman's poems about the sea.
Compositional Technique
The Symphony in C sharp minor features a repetitive rhythmic motif of two short beats followed by two long ones, which conductor Dalia Atlas believes symbolizes the rhythm of fate.
Composer Biography
Ernest Bloch, a Jewish composer, was born in Geneva in 1880 and died in Oregon, USA, in 1959.
Critical Reception
Romain Rolland, a French dramatist and novelist, praised Bloch's Symphony in C sharp minor, stating it revealed a rich, vigorous, and passionate temperament for a first work.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bloch's works often contain both covert and overt Jewish motifs and scales, despite his stylistic versatility across many genres.
Composition History
Bloch's Symphony in C sharp minor, an hour-long work, was written when he was only twenty years old while studying in Germany.
Performer Biography
Dalia Atlas, the conductor on this album, was the first woman to win seven prizes in prestigious international conducting competitions.
