Debussy and Roussel with Julius Baker, Lillian and Harry Fuchs, and Laura Newell

Having recently showcased the sibling duo of Joseph and Lillian Fuchs, I thought that brother Harry might be feeling left out, so I transferred this US Decca LP that features his cello playing.

Of course, the spotlight here is not on the cello; rather it is on the splendid flute playing of Julius Baker. He is heard throughout this program, which includes Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (1915); his Syrinx for Unaccompanied Flute; and Roussel's Trio for Flute, Viola and Cello, Op. 40. Laura Newell is the harpist.

This a exceptionally good record with four of New York's leading mid-century virtuosi performing gorgeous French music from earlier in the century. Decca, as was its pattern in classical works, provides a close recording, although it has added some reverberation to leaven any harshness. Michael Gray's discography has Syrinx coming from February 1953 and the Sonata from July 1954. He does not provide a date for the Roussel Trio, but presumably it was from the same time frame.