Ernest Bloch’s portrait of the biblical King Solomon in Schelomo combines cello and orchestra for a passionate evocation where the spiritual and sensual merge in one of this Swiss composer’s most powerful works.
Coinciding with a rising tide of nationalism, Sibelius’s First Symphony opens like no other, and the haunting intensity of solo clarinet and timpani heralds a work of noble beauty and storm-tossed climaxes.
Equally arresting is the Introduction to Berlioz’s dramatic symphony, along with a romantic portrait of Romeo and a vivid ball scene.