Ernest Bloch; André Caplet; Maurice Ravel - Music for Cello & Orchestra (Raphael Wallfisch)

Information

Composer: Ernest Bloch; André Caplet; Maurice Ravel

• Bloch - Voice in the Wilderness
• Caplet - Epiphanie (d'apres une légende éthiopienne)
• Ravel - Mélodie hébraïque, Kaddisch
• Bloch - Schelomo. Rhapsodie hébraïque

Raphael Wallfisch, cello

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Benjamin Wallfisch, conductor

Date: 2014

Label: Nimbus Records

https://www.wyastone.co.uk/ni5913.html

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Review

There are few composers of such profound sincerity and absorbing interest as Ernest Bloch. He said that he had no desire to archive the music of the Jews but that the intention in his own music was to capture the Hebrew spirit in ‘the complex, ardent, agitated soul that vibrates in the Bible’.

In Schelomo, the Hebrew word for Solomon, the cellist Raphael Wallfisch communicates the sombre message of the great king in the book of Ecclesiastes, that ‘all is vanity’. Bloch’s Schelomo is by turns devotional, majestic, introspective and dramatic, and the cellist captures all these facets in an astonishing portrait. The orchestra are in fine form under the soloist’s son, who keeps a clear head in a complex score, ensuring that every detail is in focus, the climaxes awesome.

The symphonic poem Voice in the Wilderness has no biblical link though the title suggests a kinship; likewise the modal idiom of Middle Eastern music and the calling of the shofar (ram’s horn) in the orchestration. There are six meditations, in which the cello takes the role of commentator on the preceding music, as it journeys from world-weariness to ‘the victory of the spirit’, with father and son perfectly partnering each other as they traverse the emotional contours of this strangely moving piece.

The delicate imagery of Epiphanie by André Caplet is a fine contrast to the Bloch pieces. It depicts the arrival of the black king Caspar to honour ‘the King of the world’. The French composer creates a fascinating oriental sound world that the cello first embroiders, then dominates, taking the central role in a long cadenza over a drum-beat in the middle movement, before an exotic final dance for the king’s young retainers. The musical narrative is realised in a beautiful performance. Ravel’s Kaddisch, his deeply felt homage to Jewish music, carries an authentic ring and completes this memorable recording which is dedicated to the many members of the Wallfisch family who perished in the Holocaust.

-- Adrian Edwards, Gramophone

More reviews:
MusicWeb International  RECORDING OF THE MONTH

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/12/bloch-caplet-ravel-raphael-wallfisch-review

https://www.thestrad.com/bloch-schelomo-voice-in-the-wilderness-caplet-epiphanie-ravel-kaddisch/1000.article

https://www.allmusic.com/album/bloch-schelomo-voice-in-the-wilderness-caplet-epiphanie-ravel-kaddish-mw0002614112

https://www.amazon.com/Schelomo-Raphael-Wallfisch-cello/dp/B00H7BM5DA

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Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953, London) is one of the leading English cellists of his generation. Wallfisch studied with Amaryllis Fleming, Derek Simpson, Amadeo Baldovino and Gregor Piatigorsky. His vast repertory ranges from 19th century staples by Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Dvorák to 20th century standards by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Respighi and Barber. He has also focused much attention on works by British composers such as Elgar, Delius, Bax, Maxwell Davies, MacMillan, Simpson, and Tavener. Wallfisch has recorded extensively for many labels, including Chandos, Nimbus, and Naxos.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/raphael-wallfisch-mn0002030011/biography

http://www.raphaelwallfisch.com/?page_id=35

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