Information
Composer: Paul Ben-Haim; Ernest Bloch; Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Ben-Haim - Cello Concerto: I. Allegro giusto
- Ben-Haim - Cello Concerto: II. Sostenuto e languido
- Ben-Haim - Cello Concerto: III. Allegro gioioso
- Bloch - Symphony for Cello & Orchestra: I. Maestoso
- Bloch - Symphony for Cello & Orchestra: II. Agitato
- Bloch - Symphony for Cello & Orchestra: III. Allegro deciso
- Korngold - Cello Concerto in C major, Op. 37
- Korngold - Tanzlied des Pierrot (from the opera 'Die tote Stadt')
- Bloch - Vidui (1st movement of the Baal Shem-Suite)
- Bloch - Nigun (2nd movement of the Baal Shem-Suite)
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Łukasz Borowicz, conductor
Date: 2020
Label: cpo
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The subtitle of this excellent disc of cello concertos by exiled Jewish composers, ‘Voices in the Wilderness’ (almost the title of another cello concertante work by Bloch), is curious. Exiles from Nazi Germany, their eventual homes (Israel and the USA) were hardly wildernesses, especially for Ben-Haim, born Paul Frankenburger in Munich, who settled in Palestine – surely the ideal relocation, at least spiritually? For sure, Korngold hankered to return to the Vienna of his youth, but California was hardly a desert.
If you don’t know Ben-Haim’s music, the Cello Concerto (1962) is an ideal place to start. A compact, three-movement work, it combines a Levantine atmosphere (especially in the cello-writing, eloquently rendered by Wallfisch) with mid-European technique. Stravinsky is there, too, right from the outset, but Ben-Haim’s skill in synthesising these disparate elements – including two Judaeo-Spanish love songs – is brilliant. So too is Bloch’s Symphony (1954, the third of his four), originally written for trombone but assigned to the cello as an alternative at publication. I prefer the trombone original but Wallfisch’s performance makes a very fine case for his instrument.
Bloch’s is less overt a display piece than Korngold’s Concerto, composed originally not just for the film Deception in 1946 but as part of the plot. Wallfisch definitely has its measure and his account is as compelling as any recent one. Julian Steckel’s was well received in these pages, as was Zuill Bailey (ASV, reissued by Alto). A key aspect of all these performances, aside from the passion of Wallfisch’s advocacy, is the contribution of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, on splendid form (as ever). The three encores are nicely done, too, but why did they omit the ‘Simchas Torah’ finale of Bloch’s Baal Shem? It runs under five minutes and there was bags of room.
-- Guy Rickards, Gramophone
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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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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