Paul Taffanel became one of a select few players who significantly influenced the course and development of the history of the flute. Indeed, his influence on other flute players, on teachers and composers, and even on instrument makers, had such an impact that it is feasible to think in terms of a “Taffanel legacy”. He was clearly a musical force both on and off the concert platform. His imaginative approach to music conveyed through his expressive use of colour and intensity of sound was unique. Taffanel was dismissive of flute music that tended to concentrate on mere showmanship or on virtuosity for its own sake and there can be no doubt that at the time when he was a young student in the 1860’s, music of this type contributed to a popular perception of the flute as an instrument best suited for light entertainment.

Most of the works recorded here were written and performed during Paul Taffanel’s lifetime, 1844-1908. Several were written especially for him and some appeared regularly in his own recital programmes. Having lain dormant for far too long some of these imaginative compositions are recorded for the first time revealing, to “modern” ears, a rich treasury of music which typifies much of the music heard in the chamber music salons and concert halls of Paris at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.