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What Does Ofra Harnoy Want? (And Will She Get It?)

9/25/2011

4 Comments

 
Picture
Ofra Harnoy, back in the day.
For many classical music fans, the name “Ofra Harnoy” will be quite familiar. But anyone under the age of 30 can be excused for not knowing this Israeli-born Canadian cellist.

It’s been a while Harnoy’s rise in the 1980s – which was followed by her withdrawal from the concert stage about two decades later. Also a prolific recording artist during her heyday, she hasn’t recorded a new CD since 2000.


While never exactly a cellist’s cellist, Harnoy enjoyed considerable popular appeal, and was known for a very expressive style that at times bordered on the extravagant. As well, she displayed a penchant for lighter fare – from to Kreisler and Popper to Gershwin and the Beatles.

Today, on Toronto’s Mooredale concert series (at the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall), she played her first recital in years. Her accompanist for the occasion was Toronto’s reigning pianist, Anton Kuerti. And the program was serious: Bach’s Cello Suite No. 3, Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3 and the Franck Sonata.

I must be careful about comparisons, as I never heard her in a live performance back in the 20th century. But what I can say is that from the first notes of the Bach, it was apparent that she’s in good form. Her playing was secure, elegantly phrased, and emotionally economical. And if her intonation was not always pristine, it was certainly convincing.

When joined by Kuerti for the Beethoven, the two worked well together, giving a thoughtful and well-moderated reading. (I say “reading” as she played from score.) It was in the Franck that she really shone: her youthful passion was audible, but tempered by a strong sense of the work’s large-scale architecture.

The question “Can she still do it?” was answered with a solid yes. But the recital also raised some other questions that aren’t so easily answered.

The program was billed as Harnoy’s “return to the stage,” which sounds promising – but last week her publicist told me that she has no further engagements booked at this time. Similarly, program notes coyly explained that her prolonged absence from the stage was for “personal reasons, among them, to raise her two children.” There’s something about the phrase “among them” that hangs in the air uneasily.

So what was the intention behind this recital? Was it a rare one-off event for 500 lucky people? Was it Harnoy’s way of testing the waters, to decide if she wants to resume a busy career? Or has she already firmly decided to do so, if she can?

That may be easier said than done: the classical music business isn’t always ready to welcome the return of an artist after a decade’s absence. And the challenge may be compounded if the artist in question was once marketed as a Wunderkind, which Harnoy, at the age of 46, is no longer.

So I ask, “What does Ofra Harnoy want? And will she get it?” Only time will tell.


© Colin Eatock 2011
4 Comments
Brian Chaput
3/9/2012 06:22:08 pm

Admittedly I am a complete novice when it comes to classical music but I have always enjoyed attending the VSO Mozart performances in Stowe, VT and others throughout the year. My first classical music purchase was Ofra Harnoy Vivaldi Concertos on the advice of my friend David Horn, an amazing singer and classical music expert. He knew I was drawn to string arrangements and this was the perfect introduction. I wish Ms Harnoy would return to recording, but stay away from pop interpretation but maybe perform modern composers, especially any women - are there any? If so, you wouldn't know it from listening to classical music stations.

Reply
Eric
6/14/2013 09:10:52 am

Been an Ofra fan since the late 1980's.
Never seen her live, hope to one day but it doesn't look promising.
We used her version of The Beatles "In My Life" at our wedding.

Reply
Michele
3/2/2014 10:00:09 am

I have always loved listening to cello arrangements. In the nineties I had the pleasure of hearing Ofra accompany Lorrena McKennit (sp) at Massey Hall. Simply elevating. I enjoy all of Ofra's work especially her interpretation of Vivaldi

Reply
violinist link
1/28/2023 05:34:12 am

The question “Can she still do it?” was answered with a solid yes
Frederick Delius: “There is only one real happiness in life and that is the happiness of creating.”

Reply



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    Eatock Daily

    I'm a composer based in Toronto – and this is my classical music blog, Eatock Daily.

    When I first started blogging, Eatock Daily was a place to re-post the articles I wrote for Toronto’s Globe and Mail and National Post newspapers, the Houston Chronicle, the Kansas City Star and other publications.

    But now I have stepped back from professional music journalism, and I'm spending more time composing.

    These days, my blog posts are infrequent, and are mostly concerned with my own music. However, I do still occasionally post comments on musical topics, including works I've discovered, enjoyed, and wish to share with others.


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