“… John Wilson seizes on the opportunities to bring out the vivid colours of Dutilleux’s score, with the brass blazing superbly and every rhythm alive with meaning. No less striking is the music’s lyricism, phrased by Wilson with great tenderness …”

“…The music [Le Loup] possesses tremendous rhythmic energy and drive – something never found wanting in Wilson’s incisive performances – but also a considerable amount of lyrical music that includes a haunting recurring waltz representing the girl in the story. Wilson and the Sinfonia of London play this thrilling score with an unbeatable combination of terrific flamboyance and typically winning style… The three remaining works on this disc were composed in the 1940s and are reminders of the considerable contribution French composers have made to the wind instrument repertoire…The ‘Sonatine for Flute and Piano’ that dates from 1943 is an enchanting piece, performed here with sensitivity and sparkling virtuosity by Adam Walker. The three-movement Oboe Sonata (1947) that follows is equally attractive, and is given a ravishing performance, by Juliana Koch … Finally, the bassoon is given its opportunity for display in the earliest work on this disc the ‘Sarabande et Cortège’ (1942)… It is fair to say that the work’s technical demands would tax the technique of all but the finest players, but here they are surmounted with absolute assurance by Jonathan Davies the Principal Bassoon of the LPO… the sound quality of this 5.0 multi-channel recording (made in the Church of St. Augustine, Kilburn London 6 – 9 January 2020), even when judged by Chandos’s consistent and exalted standard, is exceptionally vivid and wide ranging – certainly demonstration worthy. In every respect this is an excellent addition to the composer’s rather sparse representation on SACD.”