ONE of the great sonorities in chamber music is the sound of flute, viola and harp in combination:

it's weightless but with real depth. There is potentially an exotic tinge to resultant textures; it can be wonderfully precise yet endlessly atmospheric and evocative. It was Debussy's chosen medium for one of his late Sonatas, and those present at the Trio Verlaine's Queen's Hall performance of it in this year's Edinburgh International Festival might remember the occasion, not least for the opportunity to witness what a harpist does when a string gives way in mid-flight: Heidi Krutzen's lightning-fast digital wizardry in the art of string-replacement was mesmerising. Here is a wonderful new recording of the work, magically played by flautist Marina Piccinini, violist Kim Kashkashian and harpist Sivan Magen, coupled with Takemitsu's evocative masterpiece, And Then I Knew 'Twas Wind and another enthralling study in stasis, Garden Of Joys And Sorrows by Sofia Gubaidulina. What a seductive feast for the ears and the imagination.

Michael Tumelty