This is not a new recording by cellist
Ofra Harnoy
; the performances are from 1995 (the
Lalo
concerto) and 1996 (
Elgar
), and intended for release on
RCA
. Her contract with that label was drawing to an end, and the recording of the
, unbelievably, was lost. It took until 2022 to locate it, and it was paired with the re-released
concerto for a 2023 release on
Sony Classical
. The timing was excellent, as
Harnoy
had just emerged from a long recording silence with a new
Bach recording
on a different label. This release will make listeners remember why they made such a fuss over
in the first place. She was inspired by the great
Jacqueline du Pre
, who had the
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
, as one of her trademark works, and the
here is an extraordinarily warm and lyrical performance, with the
London Philharmonic
under conductor
George Pehlivanian
matching the inner rhythms of
's playing. The
Cello Concerto in D minor
of
Edouard Lalo
was recorded with a different orchestra, the
Bournemouth Symphony
under
Antonio de Almeida
. There is quite a sonic lurch between the two performances, and the
in general is not on the level of the
; the work needs a mixture of gutsy drama and charm that
does not quite provide. The performance of
's much-recorded concerto, however, makes this album well worth the listener's time and money. ~ James Manheim