Bloch, Ernest

From the age of nine, he played the violin, and later studied as a violinist at the Brussels Conservatory with Eugene Izai , as well as with Franz Sherg . Then in 1900 - 1901 studied composition at the Frankfurt Conservatory of Hoch with Ivan Knorr and Ludwig Thuje . He lived in Paris , then in Geneva, in 1916 he left for the United States of America. Since 1924 , a US citizen. In 1920 , he became the first director of the newly created Cleveland Institute of Music and directed it until 1925 , then until 1930 he headed the San Francisco Conservatory ; He also taught at other music schools. Among the students of Bloch, in particular, George Anteyle , Frederick Jacoby , Bernard Rogers , Roger Sessions .

Among the early works of Bloch, the opera Macbeth ( 1904 - 1906 ), which was first staged in 1910 and did not gain much public success, but won the rave reviews of Romain Rollan, attracted the most attention. The music of Bloch at this time is marked by the influence of Richard Strauss and impressionism in the person, first of all, of Debussy . The second stage of Bloch’s work - starting with “Three Jewish Poems” ( Fr. Trois Poèmes Juifs ; 1913 ), the symphony “Israel” ( 1916 ) and especially the Jewish Rhapsody “Shelomo” (actually “ Solomon ”) for cello and orchestra ( 1916 ) - characterized primarily by its appeal to the Jewish theme and, in this regard, partly to Jewish folklore musical material. Regarding "Shelomo" - probably the most famous work of Bloch - the critic Guido Gatti notes: Bloch's work is deeply connected with the atmosphere of a traditional Jewish house. This is reflected in a number of his most successful works. These are the “Three Jewish Poems" for the orchestra (Trois poèmes juifs, 1913); Symphony No. 2 “Israel” ( Israel , 1917); Shlomo, Jewish rhapsody for cello and orchestra ( Schelomo: a Hebrew rhapsody , 1915-1916); “Baal Shem”, three pictures from the life of Hasidim for violin and orchestra (Baal Schem, 1923); Psalms (Psalms, 1912-1914); “Jewish Suite" for violin and piano ( Suite Hèbraique , 1923); “The Voice of the One crying in the wilderness”, a symphonic poem with a solo cello ( Voice in the Wilderness , 1937); finally, one of Bloch's most famous works is the Avodat Hakodesh synagogue service for mixed choir and orchestra ( Avodath Hakodesh , 1934).

However, Bloch's talent did not allow him to confine himself to Jewish themes. In 1903 he wrote the opera Macbeth on Shakespeare (E. Fleg libretto). It took place 15 times in the Paris Opera Opera comedian in 1910 and was renewed in Naples in 1938. Bloch's fame in Europe and the United States grew rapidly thanks to his symphonic works. So, the composer wrote a symphony with the choir “America” (America, 1917): dedicated to the memory of Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman. The country where he was born, Switzerland, was honored by Bloch in the symphonic poem Helvetia (Helvetia, 1929). Important events in the composer's creative life were his early symphonic works, for example, “Live and Love” ( Vivre et aimer , 1900) and “Winter - Spring” ( Hiver - printemps , 1905), as well as later ones - “Symphonic Suite” ( Suite symphonique , 1945), the orchestral suite “Poems of the Sea” (1923) and especially the two often performed concerti grossi (1925 and 1953), which combine the features of pre-classical instrumental genres with the modern language of the composer.

In addition, two violin sonatas, the “Mystical Poem” ( Poème mystique ) for violin and piano, piano concerto, violin concerto and several string quartets can be mentioned. Flea's second opera, Jezabel, remained incomplete.

The cello, with its fair breadth of phrasing, now melodic, sometimes reaching the peaks of lyricism, now reciting, with a dramatic play of shadow and light, is the embodiment of Solomon in all his glory. <...> The lead part, rather vocal than instrumental, seems to be a musical statement deeply connected with Talmudic prose.

The same perception is expressed in the dedicated music of Bloch (and the memory of the performer of “Shelomo” Mstislav Rostropovich ) poem by Sergey Kruglov :

... Thy Lord, Name,

Translated into the voice of the strings,

Burning over rude cities

Sim motive,

Hard as a thousand-year-old wine, passionate

The male call of the cello ... ^[5]

In later works, especially Concerto grosso No. 2 ( 1952 ), Bloch paid tribute to the fascination with neoclassicism, although the late-romantic basis of his works remained unchanged.

Of Flea’s three children, the eldest daughter, Susanna , became a musician and music teacher, and the youngest, Lucienne , became a well-known photographer.