Cellist Ofra Harnoy and trumpetist Mike Herriott - the "Portrait" album - CD Review, April 25th, 2023

Pages from pieces by Georges Gershwin, Leo Delibes, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Georges Bizet, in musical arrangements for thecello and trumpet.

Cellist Ofra Harnoy and trumpetist Mike Herriott - artists with vast experience within the world of classical music, have released their third album on January 27th, 2023, after they recorded the Back to Bach record in 2019, the On the rock album a year later, for which they received the Classical Artist and Global Music Artist of the Year awards of the MusicNL Awards in Canada. Their most recent album, included in project Records of Year 2023 of Radio România Muzical, is called Portrait and reunites opera pages - arias and duets in musical arrangements for the cello and trumpet - some of the lyrical pieces preferred by Ofra Harnoy and Mike Herriott. The album includes, among others, works by George Gershwin, Leo Delibes, Gestano Donzietti and Georges Bizet.

The musical arrangements for these pieces were made by Mike Herriott in 2022. He is a Canadian artist who is present both in world of classical music, and in jazz. He went on successful tours in America and Asia, being an exceptional trumpetist and trombonist, an exceptional composer and a passionate advocate of musical education, organizing masterclasses in well-known institutions throughout Canada.

Cellist Ofra Harnoy is one of the most popular musicians from Canada, admired for her personality and her musical prowess, for her warmth and the multitude of nuances she brings to her instrument. She has received praise for her extraordinary talent ever since she was in her teens, winning a series of international prizes in the 80s, after studying under famous musicians such as Vladimir Orloff, Pierre Fournier, Jacqueline du Préand Mstislav Rostropovich. Ofra Harnoy, aged 58, has held concerts on great stages of the world and has released numerous records with an extensive repertoire, from Baroque music to contemporary. Her recent albums are recorded and produced in collaboration with her husband, trumpetist Mike Herriott. The two musicians make up a homogenous couple, well-balanced in terms of technique and style, and capable of conveying emotion to their audience.