Bernstein's recording is very powerful, but I always thought he did Bloch's masterpiece first half much too slowly. Here's Bloch conducting it himself, and confirming my suspicion, it's quite a bit faster. More than the Chichester Psalms, is the great work of Jewish liturgical music. Unfortunately, and it's REALLY unfortunate, the text in Bloch's recording is English, and still worse, the Rabbi's benediction (always an awkward interruption) is intoned by the soloist in a sing-song which was clearly dashed off by Bloch in five minutes. He probably did it because English was the only way to get a really good English choir, which, trust me, was the preferred option... the worst English church choir is better than the best Jewish shul choir... but it doesn't change the fact that the music only sounds right in ancient Hebrew/Aramaic, or that the most conspicuously Jewish composer since Salamone Rossi is, of course, the most forgotten classical giant of the 20th century's first half. Bloch spent three years on this work - it is meant as much a grand summation of his art as the Missa Solemnis or the Ring Cycle, and can stand unashamed next to the compositions of any composer in music history.
Bloch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XukBEUVdx_A
Bernstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdSXPnJ2xlA&list=PL0HWqX-d_5xWJj0BDtyROHiuiLtW-J5sC&index=1
If you can stomach the piece being sung by (I assume!) Mormons, there is this recording...
ReplyDeletehttps://open.spotify.com/album/1BLaWPQ5nr3ZZtGfV2T3oW
...in which you at least don't encounter any English/sing-song until the Benediction. Mind you, they seem to take it just as slowly as Bernstein, if the overall timings are anything to go by...