(Avodath Hakodesh)
Hervey Alan (bass-baritone)
City of Birmingham Choir City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra (Leader, Norris Stanley )
Conducted by David Willcocks
From the Town Hall, Birmingham
Bloch's Sacred Service (1932-34) is a setting of a Jewish Sabbath Morning Service for soloist, chorus, and orchestra; the soloist sings the part of the Cantor. Referring to the text, the composer said that' though intensely Jewish in its roots, the message of the Service seems to me above all a gift of Israel to the whole of mankind. In its great simplicity and variety it embodies a philosophy acceptable to all men.'