Bloch's early 'Symphonie orientale' already showed his interest in non-European cultures and the interplay of instrumental timbres, similar to Enescu and Debussy.
Instruments
Cellist Michal Kaňka plays a cello made in 2008 by French instrument-maker Christian Bayon in Lisbon.
Composition History
The title for 'Voice in the Wilderness' was suggested by Bloch's friend Carl Engel, who felt the music's religious fervor and prophetic eloquence evoked that name.
Compositional Technique
Bloch's 'Voice in the Wilderness' is structured as six meditations on human destiny, with the piano stating an idea and the cello offering a paraphrase or commentary.
Composition History
Bloch composed the symphonic poem 'America' hoping its choral finale, which exalted an ideal for humanity, would become a national anthem.
Composer Biography
Ernest Bloch, the composer, was driven from Europe by two world wars due to his Jewish heritage, leading him to live in the New World.
Compositional Technique
Bloch's First Piano Quintet, completed in 1923, uses quartertones in the low register for both melodic and coloristic effects.
