October 2, 2012 at 6:23 PM
I'm preparing to play this piece for a small audience this Sunday. The piece is called Simchas Torah, the 3rd movement of the Baal Shem Suite by Ernest Bloch.According to the Ernest Bloch Society website, the work is dedicated to the memory of Bloch's mother Sophie, and is inspired by Israel ben Eliezer and the Swiss violinist, André de Ribaupierre, who gave the first complete public performance of the suite in 1924.
This movement is named after the Festival of Simchas Torah (“Rejoicing in the Law”), which marks the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle (This year it is on October 8). It also has the opening motifs of the popular Yiddish song Di Mezhinke Oisgegaybn (“The Youngest Daughter Married Off”) by the Polish composer Mark Warshavsky.
I have rehearsed once with the piano, and it went okay, but could have gone better. I have another rehearsal with him on Saturday. I want to get to the point mentally where the thought of playing it in front of people is not freaking me out. I've found with past recordings that once I've recorded something and put it out there and other people have heard it, warts and all, I don't feel as stressed about a performance. So, I've recorded myself, below, and am posting it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rez0wQ4Dipc
This is probably the hardest solo piece I've ever tried to play, and it's very high. That's part of why I chose to work on it. That and because I think the melodies are very interesting and beautiful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF4YCDemvsI
I like his tempos and his interpretation. As one of the commenters says, full of color and passion.
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