Tifereth Israel has a Bloch party

By Eileen Wingard

Eileen Wingard
Eileen Wingard

SAN DIEGO — The pair of concerts which TICO played on March 22 and 26 were devoted entirely to the music of Ernest Bloch, the most famous composer of the 20th century to have used Jewish thematic material  as his inspiration. Bloch’s “Schelomo” for cello; the three movement “Baal Shem Suite” for violin; and the “Suite Hebraique” for viola are in the repertoire of every string soloist on today’s concert stages. However, the magnificent Violin Concerto, programmed on TICO’s concert, is, as Dr. Mel Goldzband, San Diego Symphony Archivist remarked, “a neglected masterpiece.”

The horns did full justice to the opening measures, said to be an American Indian theme. The orchestra, under David Amos’ direction, kept pace with the violin soloist, Raimondas Butvila. He is considered to be the outstanding violinist of his native Lithuania, the birthplace of the great 20th century violin virtuoso, Jascha Heifetz. This was the first time Butvila performed this formidable concerto, and he did a commendable job. David Amos also was conducting the concerto for the first time. All the musicians were given copies of my sister Zina Schiff’s recording of the Bloch Violin Concerto with the Scottish Royal Orchestra to use as their model. Although Schiff’s rendition plumbed the depths of subtlety and emotion-this is one of her signature pieces- Butvila’s strong technique and dramatic fervor resulted in a satisfying rendition.

The second half of the program was devoted to the Concerto Symphonique for piano and orchestra, with soloist, Zecharia Plavin.  This work is full of technical passagework and bombast. It does not seem to this listener as inspired as the violin concerto. However, it served as an impressive vehicle for Plavin’s outstanding agility and power. Here again, the orchestra accompanied well under Amos’ firm hand.

Some of Bloch’s most beautiful compositions are those in the neo-baroque style, like the Concerto Grosso No. 2 for Strings, programmed at the opening of the concert. This exquisite work sounded under-rehearsed with faulty intonation. Given the challenging accompaniments for the violin concerto and the piano concerto, there was probably not enough time devoted to preparing this transparent and delicate music.

David Amos has a strong affinity for Bloch. He recorded the Concerto Symphoniqe with pianist Micah Yui and the Concerto Grosso No. 2 for Strings with  the London Symphony Orchestra on Laurel Records in 1991.  In 2008, also on Laurel Records, he recorded Bloch’s music for viola with Karen Elaine, soloist and the London Symphony Orchestra.

On Thursday evening, March 28, Bloch’s music for violin and piano featured the two soloists, violinist Butvila and pianist Plavin. It was surrounded by a script which was created by Zecharia Plavin in which British-born  actor-narrator  Simon Ordever impersonated Ernest Bloch, with German accent and pipe in hand, punctuating the air with every sentence.

Although the script could benefit from some editing, especially with the introductory sections, the biographical sections were most interesting.

The script was interspersed with the musical interludes. First, was a movement from Bloch’s Violin Sonata #1, then, two movements from the Baal Shem Suite, Simchat Torah and Nigun, and the entire Poeme Mystique concluded the evening. Unfortunately, there was neither a printed program, nor were these titles identified by the narrator. Both soloists performed well. Friends from childhood in Vilnius, they meshed musically.

The entire week gave a wonderful sampling of the music of the Swiss-born Jewish composer, conductor, violinist, founder and director of the Cleveland Conservatory, founder and director of the San Francisco Conservatory, one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, Ernest Bloch.

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Wingard is a former violinist with the San Diego Symphony and a freelance writer.  You may comment to eileen.wingard@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website following the rules below.

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