Ofra Harnoy's complete Vivaldi Cello Concertos/RCA

[Lance]

Antonio Vivaldi
Complete Cello Concertos (25)
Toronto Chamber Orchestra
Ofra Harnoy, cello
James McKay, bassoon
Igor Oistrakh, violin
Mihai Tetel, cello continuo
Elizabeth Keenan, harpsichord
Valerie Weeks, harpsichord/organ
Paul Robinson, conductor
Richard Stamp, conductor
RCA Red Seal 67886, 4 CDs, DDD
_________________________________

Here's a "complete" set that's been around for at least a little while, and the recordings are excellent, first-rate performances, with Miss Harnoy at her glorious best in all these readings, recorded in various churches around Toronto between 1987 and 1992. Harnoy's father, Jacob Harnoy (of Doremi fame) produced the original set and was engineer in the last two CDs of this now budget-priced collection, formerly available on full-priced issues.

"Complete Cello Concertos" for this collection is a bit of a misnomer since it also includes those concertos for cello and bassoon, and violin and cello. (I'm certainly not complaining!) How fortunate to have the illustrious Igor Oistrakh on hand in Toronto at the time to provide the violin parts in those concertos calling for a violin.

Not much more to say on this set except that it is wonderful to have all these concertos now on four budget-priced recordings, all in one box with a 32-page accompanying booklet. Completists: rejoice! Lots to enjoy here.

[ch1525]

Wow, only $12.99 new on Amazon!

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A ... U">Vivaldi: Complete Cello Concertos</a>

Thanks for pointing this one out, Lance!

Perhaps this could hold me over until Naxos releases all 14,000 concertos by Vivaldi!

[Lance]

Wow, only $12.99 new on Amazon!

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009A ... U">Vivaldi: Complete Cello Concertos</a>

Thanks for pointing this one out, Lance!

Perhaps this could hold me over until Naxos releases all 14,000 concertos by Vivaldi!

$12.99? That's the best price I've seen yet! [Mine was $18 but included shipping.] Go for it. If 25 concertos fit over four generously-filled RCA CDs, at that rate, Naxos will only have to have 1,750 discs, (figuring 8 concertos each) to accommodate the 14,000 concertos. Brilliant will probably do the project for a 1,750-disc set for $875.00 (50 cents per disc). I figure the length of the box would be about 146 feet. The weight? Have no idea. Obviously it would have to be broken up into at least 10 14.6 foot long containers (unless they use slim jewel cases) but you still might not be able to lift it. Using all slim cases would cut the length down to 73 feet. Well, this could go on forever. In all seriousness, I wonder how many compositions Vivaldi wrote altogether and how many CDs it would take to accommodate that volume.

[Ralph]

Ofra Harnoy's father used to go from major CD store to CD store trying to get them to carry his daughter's recordings. I understand he was occasionally fairly obnoxious when pushing her releases. I think she started the sometimes ill-advised practice of semi-erotic cover poses.

[Lance]

Ofra Harnoy's father used to go from major CD store to CD store trying to get them to carry his daughter's recordings. I understand he was occasionally fairly obnoxious when pushing her releases. I think she started the sometimes ill-advised practice of semi-erotic cover poses.

Well, nobody could deny that she was certainly a beautiful woman and the photographs captured all her charm magnificenty. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. Those photos had great appeal. I'm sure they helped to sell the product, i.e., the music.

[ch1525]

I think she started the sometimes ill-advised practice of semi-erotic cover poses.

...started by her and perfected by Anne-Sophie!

[BorisG]

A Reubenesque woman, as I recall. Yummy. What has become of her?

[Ralph]

A Reubenesque woman, as I recall. Yummy. What has become of her?

*****

Not Rubenesque at all. A very nice figure for modern (male) tastes.

[CharmNewton]

Ofra Harnoy's father used to go from major CD store to CD store trying to get them to carry his daughter's recordings. I understand he was occasionally fairly obnoxious when pushing her releases. I think she started the sometimes ill-advised practice of semi-erotic cover poses.

Well, nobody could deny that she was certainly a beautiful woman and the photographs captured all her charm magnificenty. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. Those photos had great appeal. I'm sure they helped to sell the product, i.e., the music.

I've been re-organizing my CDs (to become moree aware of what I actually have). I have about a dozen of her discs, including two of the Vivaldi concerto discs and one of his six sonatas for cello. I last new disc I remmeber from her was the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Charles Mackerras about a dozen years ago. It sounded like she was playing a new cello, or perhaps a different one, whose sound didn't project well. It reminded me of the story of Piatigorsky breaking in a neglected Strad--it too wouldn't cooperate with his efforts to get it to sing. He said it took 18 months to get it to sound.

She is a fine player, and most of her recordings are enjoyable.

John