There is a theme of “waiting” in this release. These two major Cello Concerti by Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo (27 January 1823 – 22 April 1892) and Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet (1857-1934) are now established as major works and the soloist, Ofra Harnoy, is an established musician. So what do I mean by “waiting”? Well, first is the fact that the Elgar recording was made in 1995 and this recording languished in their vaults for reasons likely far less interesting than the music. The Lalo concerto is a faithfully remastered release from the original of 1996.
The Lalo concerto was written in 1876 and was premiered in 1878 but this composer’s star, risen in his day, was relatively little known among listeners until a sort of rediscovery occurred largely due to the work of the great British conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-!961) whose scholarship brought many neglected composers to light with his recordings including Lalo. So, in a sense, listeners had to wait to get to know this composer whose work still demands a reckoning. Notably, an earlier release (reviewed here) by Hee-Young Lim, attests to the continued popularity of this fine work. Harnoy’s performance is a reflection of her style and expertise of nearly thirty years ago and demonstrates her remarkable insights characteristic of the works of her chosen repertoire.
The perhaps better known Elgar concerto of 1919 arguably did not get the recognition it deserved until the recording by the late lamented Jacqueline Du Pre (with whom Harnoy later studied) in 1961. I am somewhat chagrined to reveal that I had not heard the Elgar concerto until reviewing the present release but Harnoy’s deeply felt performance guarantees that I will be listening to this masterwork again and exploring the various recordings.
Back to the subject of “waiting” I will suggest that you not wait to get yourself a copy of this fine release of these two grand romantic concerti and this example of the enduring talents of the soloist.
New Music Buff 