Album: Kathyrn Thomas, Richard Shaw, Fauré and his Circle (Deux-Elles)

For her debut album, the gifted flautist Kathryn Thomas offers pieces reflective of the late-19th century "Ars Gallica" movement in French music, a rich period for flute composition largely because of the abilities of the virtuoso Paul Taffanel.

He premiered both the Saint-Saëns pieces which open this album so elegantly, "Romance Op. 37" and the "Airs de ballet d'ascanio". Some of Fauré's orchestrations were done by student Charles Koechlin, including the "Interlude from Pelléas et Mélisande". Koechlin's own "Deux Nocturnes Op. 32 bis" are somewhat derivative of his teacher, though none the worse for that.

Pick of the album:'Romance Op. 37', 'Fantaisie Op. 79', 'Interlude from Pelléas et Mélisande'