CD Review | Elgar & Lalo Cello Concertos (Sony Classical, 2023)

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Elgar & Lalo Cello Concertos
Ofra Harnoy, cello
Sony Classical, September 2023

Nearly three decades after it was initially made, Israeli-Canadian cellist Ofra Harnoy’s recording of Edward Elgar’s cello concerto has been released on Sony Classical. In 1996, Harnoy spent four days at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios to record what she describes as a “warhorse” of the cello repertoire with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The masters were believed to have been lost until 2022 when a thorough search led to their miraculous discovery. The tapes are now being released for the first time on this album, paired with a remastered version of her 1995 recording of Éduard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D Minor.

Harnoy interprets Elgar’s monumental concerto with precision and elegance. Sometimes, in service of refinement, she sacrifices the drama and depth that one longs for in this romantic repertoire. Certain passages feel underphrased, perhaps as a result of her tendency toward classy understatement—or maybe a sign of her youth at the time this recording was made (she was still only in her late 20s). That being said, the clarity and accuracy with which she plays is very welcome, especially in the second movement, characterized by unrelenting, quick 16th-note passages. Her performance is self-assured and perfectly clean: its shining moment comes in the third movement, a heart-wrenching adagio. She pays just as much mind to the silences as to the melodies, rendering a tender, pure effect.

Harnoy has said in the past that she cannot make it through this concerto without crying, and when listening to this movement, one understands why. Her interpretation of the Lalo concerto is equally consummate, ripe with moments of full-bodied warmth and emotion. Overall, this album is an unexpected and much-appreciated gift from the archives!