Born in Vienna, Toch was mostly self-taught, studying
Mozart string quartets at an early age. A youthful musical
adventurer, he was forced out of Europe by the Nazis and
ended up in Hollywood writing film scores, for which he
received many awards. Beginning with his piano music in
the thirties, Toch’s later style was conservative, but never
derivative, his innovations small but secure.
Although, as the titles of his works suggest, Toch
was a very serious composer, his “Geographical Fugue” for
chorus of speakers was performed as part of the first Hoffnung
Music Festival. Although he generally wrote for a traditional
orchestra, he pioneered the use of hissing and rattling
sounds in ensembles. His Third Symphony won the Pulitzer
Prize for music in 1956, and in the 1957 recording by William
Steinberg (recorded in a mosque!) made a stir at the time
by featuring in the orchestra a “hisser,” a tank of compressed
gas with a valve operated by the percussionist. It could
achieve a “reverse cymbals” effect, starting soft and finishing
loud. That recording, for years a frequently played hi-fi
demonstration record, also featured one of the first appearances
of the then new generation of electronic organs that could
sound like real pipe organs. An organist friend of mine,
when told he was to hear an electronic organ, walked out
of the listening room when the record was put on, only to
come sprinting back, mouth gaping in astonishment, when
he heard the sound.
The Fifth Symphony is identifiably in the
style of the Third (In the sense that all the Symphonies
of Haydn are in the same style) with the same resourceful
use of orchestral sounds and rhythms, but is a thoroughly
original work. The Fifth is written in a single movement
and does not divide itself into large blocks of similar
mood but consists of a succession of episodes in varying
moods and colours. It is considerably more abstract and
less tuneful than Toch’s film music. Both performances are
excellent and nearly identical, with the Francis being perhaps
a little brighter and more energetic, the Schwarz slightly
more sensual and atmospheric. Your choice will most likely
be made on which coupling you prefer.
Toch’s song cycle The Chinese Flute drawing
from the same material as Mahler in “The Song of the Earth,”
utilised a snare drum in a small ensemble which provided
an eerie rattling sound, very much in the mood of the poetry.
This is one of the many exquisite recordings which cry out
for re-release which originally appeared on the MGM LP label
in the late 1950s
The Cantata of the Bitter Herbs was written
in Los Angeles when Toch received a telegram from Vienna
informing him of the sudden death of his mother. In his
grief he sought out a synagogue for the first time in many
years, feeling the need to rejoin the religious community.
It is an immediate work suitable for family religious celebration,
but enjoyable by persons of any faith for the beauty of
the music and the nobility of its themes. No traditional
melodies are used, all the themes are original, and the
overall impression is what one would expect from a skilled
writer of film scores. The performance is generally excellent,
however the soprano’s tone is somewhat forced in expression
of feeling, and the tenor is clearly uncomfortable with
the high range of the writing. Bikel’s narration (*recorded
in New York in 2003 and edited into the final master tape)
bears just a trace of accent but is extremely clear and
compelling.
Paul
Shoemaker
Other Toch Recordings:
