Partly, no doubt, because of its colossal size, Swiss-born
Ernest Bloch's Symphony in C sharp minor has been recorded relatively few
times. Twenty years in fact separate this Naxos issue from versions on BIS
(CD-576) and Marco Polo (8.223103). For the former, the Malmö Symphony
Orchestra's recording under Russian conductor Lev Markiz is a solid account,
although the somewhat reedy audio precludes it from any consideration for
benchmark status. As trailblazing as they were in terms of repertoire, the
old blue-front Marco Polo recordings are, in terms of audio quality and
glamour, on a par with Naxos's earlier discs - that is, rather patchy. Yet
there are numerous among them that are either still the only recordings
available or much better than anyone who judges books by covers would be led
to believe. One such disc is the Slovak Philharmonic's account of Bloch's
Symphony under early Naxos stalwart Stephen Gunzenhauser. They whizz through
it five minutes faster than either the LSO or the MSO, although most of that
time difference is actually due to a speedy first movement. The first
recording of the work was made by the Saint Louis Philharmonic Orchestra
under Robert Hart Baker in the 1980s for the Ernest Bloch Society, clocking
in at a very trim 46 minutes.
Dalia Atlas and the LSO take the first movement considerably more
slowly than any of the above, yet their reading never feels
schleppend. On the contrary, such a considered pace allows for a
clarity of detail not available on the BIS recording. Moreover, and without
denying the quality of the MSO or the SPO, few would disagree that the LSO
also have that extra bit of experience and sophistication that give them the
edge, whilst Atlas's sheer love for Bloch's music - made flesh in several
recordings, including two for Naxos and three for ASV, and in her position
as founder of the 'Ernest Bloch Society in Israel' - gives her an insight
into this music, in terms of both structure and beating heart, that
Gunzenhauser and Markiz cannot match.
Anyone as yet unfamiliar with this lavishly orchestrated and
detailed work will find imagining a symphonic Bruckner-Mahler-Strauss hybrid
a good starting-point - echoes of all three resonate almost throughout.
Thus, whilst Bloch had not yet found quite his own voice - attributable to
his young age at the time - the Symphony is still a work of stunning
maturity as well as youthful vigour and big ideas. Atlas considers it his
greatest work. It is certainly a score of massive dimensions and complexity,
requiring a Herculean effort not only of the conductor but also of every
section of the orchestra.
After the sumptuous four-course Symphony,
Poems of the Sea is
pure H
2O: refreshing, reflective, mysterious, elusive - a widely
appealing work not unlike Sibelius's slightly earlier
Oceanides. With
Abbey Road's first-rate sound into the bargain, this Naxos recording makes
runners-up of the competition in practically all regards.
Byzantion
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Paul Corfield Godfrey
