Ernest Bloch: more than a Jewish composer

Yoav Ben-Shlomo • Bristol

Ernest Bloch, though not a religious Jew, is probably the most famous Jewish composer of the twentieth century. Born in Geneva in 1880, he studied in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich and Paris before creating his “Jewish cycle” and ended his life in the USA. However, he also composed other important musical works including chamber music and symphonic works that were more impressionistic, influenced by Debussy and other 20^th century composers. Whilst, much of his music has strong Jewish themes, he always viewed his works as universalistic with a message that “…transports us into another world and makes us think, feel, love differently.” This talk will play excerpts from many of his varied works to illustrate the power of this message.

Yoav Ben-Shlomo is a lover of music, including classical, jazz and klezmer. He has collected classical pieces inspired by Jewish themes over the years and enjoys sharing his love of music with others. Yoav is an academic at the University of Bristol and Chair of DAVAR.