Ernst Toch - Cantata of the Bitter Herbs; Jephta (Gerard Schwarz)

Information

Composer: Ernst Toch

• (01) Cantata of the Bitter Herbs
• (11) Jephta, Rhapsodic Poem (Symphony No. 5)

Theodore Bikel, narrator

Carol Meyer, soprano

Elizabeth Shammash, mezzo-soprano

Richard Clement, tenor

Ted Christopher, baritone

Prague Philharmonic Choir

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Seatle Symphony Orchestra (11)

Gerard Schwarz, conductor

Date: 2004

Label: Naxos

https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559417

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Review

Two radically different works inspired indirectly by the Exodus

Of all the recordings licensed from the Milken Archive, this one whetted my appetite the most. Both the Cantata of the Bitter Herbs (1938) and the rhapsodic poem Jephta, which doubles as Toch’s Fifth Symphony (1962-63), have their roots in the Exodus, but refracted through later custom or treatment: the Cantata from the eating of ‘bitter herbs’, representing ‘the pain of the Egyptian bondage’, during the Passover seder ritual, and Jephta in a plan for an opera based on Lion Feuchtwanger’s novel retelling the Biblical story set during the Hebrew conquest of Canaan.

The main attraction is undoubtedly the Cantata, though its late-Romantic, at times Straussian idiom may surprise those familiar with the symphonies or concertos. Its serious, radiant character may partly have arisen from the death of Toch’s mother in late 1937 and the themes of suffering, exile, pain and redemption suffuse the 10 movements of remarkable, beautiful tapestry of a score.

This performance, given in the Rudolfinum in Prague in 2000, catches the work’s many nuances and the ardent vocal soloists give a good account of themselves. So, too, does narrator Theodore Bikel, who avoids kitsch in his reverential but solid declamation. The Prague Philharmonic Choir are fine, though one can tell English is not their first language. Gerard Schwarz and the Czech Philharmonic provide splendid accompaniment.

It is curious that Jephta, Toch’s most elusive symphony, should be his most recorded. Schwarz’s new account is, I would hazard, just about the best version available, superior to Robert Whitney’s pioneering Louisville recording and slightly better focused than Alun Francis with the Berlin RSO. The last-named, though, has the benefit of more opulent sound, with greater presence and more depth to the acoustic image. Naxos’s booklet is fulsome with the background to both works.

-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone

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Ernst Toch (7 December 1887 – 1 October 1964) was an Austrian composer of classical music and film scores. In his youth he was a pianist of considerable stature, performing to acclaim throughout much of western Europe. Following Hitler's seizure of power in 1933, Toch went into exile, first to Paris and then London. He moved to the US in 1935, began composing film music for Hollywood and became a professor at the University of Southern California. Toch was considered one of the great avant-garde composers in the pre-Nazi era; he wrote music for films, symphonies, chamber music & chamber operas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Toch

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Gerard Schwarz (born August 19, 1947) is an American conductor and trumpeter. He graduated from the High School of Performing Arts and the Juilliard (New York) and began his musical career as a trumpeter, performing until 1973 as principal of the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. He was music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (2001-2006) and the Seattle Symphony (1985-2011), and also led the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Symphony. Schwarz made over 100 recordings with the Seattle Symphony, and is noted for championing American composers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Schwarz

http://www.gerardschwarz.com/

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