Welcome to the third volume of the music of Eric Coates from John Wilson and the BBC Philharmonic, the second of which (11/20) was pronounced ‘a terrific disc’ by Rob Cowan, ‘and a delectable appetiser for Vol 3’.

Once again the planning of the disc is flawless: three major works, two suites and a ‘phantasy’ flanked by shorter pieces with subtitles such as romance, concert valse and march, so redolent of the period they evoke from the late Twenties to the early Fifties – when, as chance would have it, Coates had to hand a march tune, which the producers of the forthcoming film The Dam Busters (1955) took a liking to. No matter that the film only employed the iconic cantabile section as its Main Title, The Dam Busters march became the biggest and final hit of Coates’s career. John Wilson’s way with it – letting that tune glide in almost imperceptibly, relishing the moment when the violins decorate it, like sprinkling icing on a cake – typifies his approach. There’s a fine measure of flexibility within phrases, the music moves onwards, the tempo markings are observed.

Individual players relish their opportunities to shine in such circumstances. Helena Wood, the Philharmonic’s leader, lingers over that final farewell in Lost Love (the last chord tinged with the sound of a vibraphone), and oboist Will Oinn takes the long view of ‘Springtime in Angus’ from The Three Elizabeths, where in conclusion the two calls of the cuckoo are timed to perfection. The Suite is bookended with brilliant fanfares that were adopted as the signature tune of the BBC’s adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. In The Three Men – portraits of chaps in country, city and naval guise – the orchestra’s saxophonist adds an inimitable period dance-band flavour to a sophisticated Mayfair scene. The finale, ‘The Man from the Sea’, is a compositional tour de force, with a short fugal exposition, executed brilliantly.

The phantasy Cinderella wasn’t intended for the theatre but any choreographer worth their salt, on hearing this dramatic and atmospheric telling, would find it a gift to stage. All 11 sections of Coates’s compact rendition of the fairy tale, each separately delineated by cue points in the booklet, spring to life under Wilson’s baton, the conductor’s dramatic instincts never more assured than when the gong strikes midnight – a huge crash that brings to mind the end of Ravel’s La valse (also recently recorded by Wilson with his Sinfonia of London – 3/22). I was enthralled by this account, and indeed by the whole disc. Vol 4 is due next year. Bring it on.