Ernest Bloch
The East Side Chamber Players will celebrate Yom Kippur with a program of music inspired by the Jewish experience, including Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, George Gershwin’s Lullaby, a selection from Ernest Bloch’s From Jewish Life and more.
Swiss-born American composer Bloch (1880-1959) wrote From Jewish Life, three sketches for cello and piano, in 1925. The Jewishness of Bloch’s music has been said to come from within the composer, and not from the use of Hebraic folk melodies. Gershwin (1898-1937) is known for penning some of the most iconic melodies of the Jazz Age. He composed the bluesy Lullaby (1919) at the piano, later scoring it for string quartet. Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs for piano, violin and soprano were composed in 1996. These troubadour songs are based on original Hebrew texts by the soprano and poet Hila Plitmann. ESCP will also play selections from Abraham Kaplan’s Psalms of Abraham, sung by eight women with piano accompaniment.
The East Side Chamber Players is dedicated to the furtherance of art and culture through performing chamber music and providing experience for pre-professional musicians. ESCP also perform community outreach, including coaching and mentoring Milwaukee-area students.
Celebrating Jewish Music take place at Cathedral Church of All Saints (818 E. Juneau Ave.) on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. and at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church (12012 W. North Ave.) on Sunday, Sept. 15, at 2 p.m. Admission is free but donations will be accepted.
