Description
“Bloch’s Israel Symphony is a large-scale work anticipating the Hollywood film composers’ styles for biblical epics … the vigour and spontaneity of Abravanel’s Utah performances … transferred to CD with great success” [Penguin Guide] “Nelsova’s Schelomo , with Abravanel’s support, is a fitting setting for the cellist who was Bloch’s own choice for the work.” “The Three Jewish Poems hints towards Respighi’s Roman triptych (then yet to be composed) … Bloch’s subtly coloured canvasses seem custom-built for an age increasingly attracted to late-romantic musical tone-painting. We are therefore greatly indebted to Sedares for these clear-headed, sensitively turned performances, extremely well engineered. Anyone with a taste for atmospheric evocations cannot fail to enjoy” [Gramophone]
| Trois Poèmes Juifs (Three Jewish Poems) (1913) [25:46] |
| [1] Dance: Poco animato 8:53 |
| [2] Rite: Calmo (Andante moderato) 7:16 |
| [3] Funeral Procession: Lento assai 9:36 |
| New Zealand Symphony Orchestra / James Sedares |
| Recorded October 1993 at Symphony House, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Producer/Engineer: Michael Fine Assistant Producer: Tamra Saylor Fine |
| Production Coordinator: Susan Napodano Technical Assistant: Geoffrey Eyles |
| [4] Schelomo, Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra* [19:19] |
| Zara Nelsova, cello* / Utah Symphony Orchestra / Abravanel |
| ‘Israel’ Symphony [29:10] |
| [5] Adagio molto, ‘Prayer in the Desert’ 4:30 |
| [6] Allegro agitato, ‘Yom Kippur’ 13:09 |
| [7] Moderato, ‘Succoth’ 11:03 |
| Blanche Christensen & Jean Basinger Fraenkel, sopranos |
| Christina Politis & Diane Heder, altos Don Watts, bass |
| Utah Symphony Orchestra / Maurice Abravanel |
| (4-7) Recorded April 1967 in Salt Lake City, Utah; Producer: Seymour Solomon |
| Engineer: Ed Friedner; Digital Remastering: David Baker |
| [4-7] Licensed from Vanguard Classics, [1]-[3] from Koch International |
| Mastered for Alto by Paul Arden-Taylor (www.dinmore-records.co.uk) |
