FLAC (tracks) | Classical | 64:44 | 1CD | 269 MbA ravishing performance of the Concerto militare by Ofra Harnoy, more than equal to its bristling difficulties yet swooning like an operetta heroine in its lyrical lines.

The Concerto militaire opens with a very Offenbachian tutti – robbed a little of its sparkle here by rather too resonant a recording – which introduces the characterful dotted march theme that affords the work its sobriquet (the composer’s own); but the soaring secondary theme is even more striking.

The concerto dates from 1847 and the conductor of the present recording, Antonio di Almeida, who is also an authority on Offenbach, tells us in the notes that no complete autograph score exists although there is a set of the original orchestral parts.

This is perhaps – although not certainly – held at the Offenbach Archive in Cologne.

The published score used here is revised and reconstructed by the French cellist, Jean-Max Clement, who orchestrated the last two movements, using the piano score and keeping to the style and scale of the opening movement.

He also had a considerable hand in revising, even devising, the often complex solo part which appears never to have been written out in full by its composer (especially in the finale, where the cadenza is by Clement alone).

Some of the bravura solo writing in the extreme upper tessitura of the first movement approaches the ridiculous in appearing to throw all caution to the winds, but perhaps that was the composer’s own joke.

What is fascinating is that Offenbach himself revised the second movement Andante, richly expanding its scoring to make a separate concertante piece.

It has a glorious main theme and in Harnoy’s ravishing performance it is the highlight of this CD.

In the concerto she is more than equal to the bristling difficulties of the solo part yet swoons like a very stylish operetta heroine in the ardent lyrical lines, characteristically and subtly using the widest range of dynamics to add to the sense of poetic spontaneity.

The genial finale, with its jaunty main theme, comes off splendidly.

Tracklist:01. I. Allegro maestoso02. II. Andante03. III. Rondo04. Andante (1845), A805. I. Prelude. Lento – Allegro maestoso06. II. Intermezzo. Andantino con moto – Allegro presto07. III. Introduction. Andante – Allegro vivace