Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) is known for his emotionally romantic work, Schelomo, for cello and orchestra. Audiophiles might remember his two Concerto Grossi for String Orchestra on a Mercury LP that was reissued on CD (432718). These works and others reflect the essence of Jewish cultural heritage without directly quoting Jewish religious or folk songs. However, the chamber works on this disc are more intimate and refined, the product of a composer of considerable depth who lived in his native Switzerland and the United States.
The Piano Quintet No. 1 (1921-3) is a 34 minute work that is both romantic and contemporary. The first movement alternates excitement and agitation (echoing Bartokian language) with melodic fragments. The slow movement is haunting, beautiful, and tenderly mysterious. It’s an extraordinary passionate statement that ends quietly as it fades away into the mist. The vibrant third movement pulses with gestural swoops and slides spiced by high harmonics and tremolos. It has a Jewish, middle-eastern flavor that ends quietly. This is a composition that deserves to be heard more often.
The Second Piano Quintet (1957) was written when the composer was in his late 70s and afflicted with colonic cancer. It’s less romantic, more compact, and pointillistic, but never harsh on the ears. The form is similar to the First Piano Quintet – two energetic outer movements with a haunting slow movement in the middle. The ending to the third movement is a profoundly moving pensive elegy that is a fitting conclusion to his life’s work.
In between these two piano quintets is Night, a three minute nocturne for string quartet, Two Pieces, an inventive work written for the Griller String Quartet and Paysages (Landscapes) – three musical portraits of Arctic frozen wastelands, the lush vegetation of an Alpine terrain and the vibrant life of the South Pacific Islands. The Goldner String Quartet (from Australia) and pianist Piers Lane perform brilliantly and sensitively and the Hyperion recording meets their usual high sonic standards. Recommended for those looking for relatively unknown works of significant substance.
— Robert Moon
