Dinmore Records

Tuneful, entertaining works by the English composer Christopher Ball, who also conducts the Adderbury Ensemble on this premiere recording. Includes the Recorder Concerto ("The Piper of Dreams"), Oboe Concerto, Scenes from a Comedy for wind quintet, and Pagan Piper and Pan Overheard for unaccompanied recorder.

"Beautiful ... engaging ... hauntingly mellifluous ... a composer of rare brilliance ... some of the most delightful music in the modern woodwind repertoire" (Recorder Magazine)

"This is a charming disc to relax with, full of the sheer enjoyment of the music" (Double Reed News)

"Unremittingly pleasant ... Paul Arden-Taylor plays these technically-challenging works with authority and obvious affection" (American Record Guide)

"I enjoyed the whole 67 minutes greatly" (David Mellor, Classic FM)

"Perfect music for a relaxing summer day" (Humphrey Carpenter, BBC Radio 3)

"Sheer joy throughout ... superbly crafted ... beautifully lyrical ... highly attractive and entertaining ... rarely indeed have I heard such seemingly effortless and immaculate recorder playing" (Hubert Culot, Musicweb)

"Not only is his music tonal, well-crafted and melodic, it is unmistakably English and has an individual voice; the concertos are a delight, full of jaunty, confident ideas and whimsical turns of phrase" (Jeremy Nicholas, Classic FM Magazine, awarded runner-up Record of the Month, July 2000)