レビュー Deutsche Grammophons follow-up to its award-winning release of 1999 is based around the flautistry of Patrick Gallois. Takemitsu was drawn to the sound and imagery of the flute, and its plaintive timbre is to the fore in the three versions of Toward the Sea, around which the programme is based. Originally for flute and guitar, this triptych of impressions--of the night, Moby Dick and Cape Cod--was reconceived for flute, harp and strings, then for flute and harp, each time leaving the musics evocative nature unaltered. The title track is typical of Takemitsus later work, in which a solo instrument wanders through the tranquil scenescape of the orchestra. Music of strong atmosphere, but even finer is And then I knew twas wind, one of the posers most Japanese-sounding later pieces, despite its intricate scoring for the very Debussian bination of flute, viola and harp. Le Fils des toiles is a whimsical arrangement of, and homage to, Eric Satie, while Air is a tranquil miniature which captures the essence of the whole disc and rounds it off ideally. Galloiss wooden flute makes a distinctive impression, as does Fabrice Pierres fastidious harp-playing. Well worth investigating, whatever your knowledge of this singular and much-missed poser. --Richard Whitehouse