Ernest Bloch / Fiddler on the Roof
On this day in classical music: Ernest Bloch’s “Piano Quintet” was given its premiere in New York in 1923. It was the first concert of the League of Composers. The Swiss-born Bloch studied music at the conservatory in Brussels, where his teachers included the Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaye. Bloch traveled throughout Europe until 1915 and settled in the United States in 1916. In 1920, Bloch was appointed the first music director of the newly formed Cleveland Institute of Music. After five years in that post, Bloch became director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. From 1941 until his death in 1959, Bloch lived in the coastal community of Agate Beach, Oregon. Listen to the Take 5 Piano Quintet perform the “Andante mistico” from Bloch’s “Piano Quintet.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEk0ZzyrowM
On this day in the musical theatre: A revival of “Fiddler on the Roof,” starring Topol as Tevye the Milkman, opened on Broadway 1990. Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s Tony Award-winning musical made its third trip back to the Great White Way in this production starring the Tevye from the movie version. Marcia Lewis played opposite Topol as Golde. The revival ran for 241 performances. Watch a promotional video for the film version of “Fiddler on the Roof” starring Topol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7b-ePZw2ow
Musical musings: The good news at “Fiddler on the Roof,” which starts previews tomorrow at the Gershwin Theater for a Nov. 18 opening, is that Jerome Robbins, the musical’s original director and choreographer, has agreed to come in during previews to help polish the show, which has been on the road since July 1989. As one theater veteran says of Mr. Robbins, “When he does a number, it immediately has that extra something.” As Tevye the show also has Topol, who, company members say, should never ask his co-workers, “Do you love me?” The answer might not be what the Israeli star expects. On the road he went through two Goldes, Marcia Rodd and Rosalind Harris, neither of whom, production staffers say, he could get along with.“For Topol, enough is never enough,” says a theater executive who has worked with him. “He demands a very high percentage of the gross, higher than other stars.” A production staff member says, “With him, every little thing is always wrong. The producers bend over backwards to please him. Things like the floor is too noisy, so they had to recover it. He’s complained about the props, and even the milk cart was no good. Two of the wheels had to be made smaller so it would be easier for him to pull it in a circle. One of his whims.” Topol could not be reached for comment. Fran Weissler, the producer, says, “Topol is extraordinary in the part. He’s demanding and a professional. He never gets off the stage for eight shows a week, and he’s dying before he’ll miss a show. With a star, this kind of thing goes with the territory.” – Alex Witchel in The New York Times
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