Introduction

EBErnest Bloch in Switzerland (1949)

The composer Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva in 1880. A significant personality in the music history of the twentieth century, he contributed to this period several admirable masterpieces, in which his vibrant spirituality expresses itself as much as the intensity of his emotion.

Even though having to emigrate to the United States, where most of his career developed and where he died in 1959, he always remained immensely attached to his native country, in honor of which he dedicated a vast symphonic poem, Helvetia. During his entire life, the Swiss mountains, to which he returned to regularly, were a place where he was able to re-gain his energy and gather inspiration. The mountains were also the place, where several of his most beautiful Ĺ“uvres were created. (Text: J. Tchamkerten, Translation: O. Margulies)

The year 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of Ernest Bloch.
During this year, concerts and other manifestations were organized, in particular in the United States, England, Israel and Switzerland. For this purpose, the Association BloCH was constituted in 2008 in Switzerland, its activities extending until present-day.