Mozart & Flute in Paris

"The pieces on this album represent different golden ages of the flute," says Emmanuel Pahud. Mozart & Flute in Paris, a 2-CD set, brings together nine captivating works, all featuring the solo flute and all owing their origins to Paris.

Pahud is joined by his colleagues from 'wind supergroup' Les Vents Français - oboist François Leleux (here also conducting the Orchestre de chambre de Paris), clarinettist Paul Meyer, bassoonist Gilbert Audin and horn-player Radovan Vlatkovic - and by Belgian harpist Anneleen Lenaerts.

The earliest works, dating from 1778, were written by Mozart while visiting Paris. His exquisite Concerto for Flute and Harp, written for the Duc de Guînes and his daughter, was innovative for its time and now exemplifies the grace and elegance we associate with the aesthetics of the later 18th century.

The newest work, premiered in 2014 by Pahud and the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, is Dreamtime by Philippe Hersant. The intervening period is represented by pieces by Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Chaminade and Poulenc, composers whose music embodies France's special relationship with the flute.