Three pieces of innocent charm, given something like charming performances by the Mexican orchestra. The slight reservation stems from a feeling that here and there the playing has a mildly agreessive flavour not stemming naturally from the nature of the music. To comment thus may be unfair to the excellent orchestra; for the feeling—such as it is—is strongest in the Saint-Saens, and there probably largely on account of the pianists. This family duo does rather go at it hammer-and-tongs, as if the music were about the dangers of the jungle rather than the delights of the more companionable species (not sure whereabouts Saint-Saens' 'pianists' should be classified!). The strings used are multiple ones (records of the proper single-string instrumentation are scarce), yet even so occasionally on the backward side; not backward at all is the flute-playing in ''Voliere'', given beautifully.
So is Jeux d'enfants, Bizet's familiar masterpiece; though a masterpiece perhaps about children rather than for them (deep waters not for exploration at this moment!). For adults, anyway, it is difficult to imagine a livelier performance, though perhaps in ''Petit mari, petite femme'' (where liveliness does not enter into it) the ''petit mari'' side of things would have born more emphasis.
And finally, more children's music, the Dolly Suite; again, I would suggest, a masterpiece, and for some the most immediately enjoyable of all Faure's music. The enjoyment is helped along greatly, of course, by Henri Rabaud's splendid scoring for orchestra; though Faure's original piano-duet version must have been handy at home for the original Dolly, Debussy's step-daughter. (Dolly not only lived long enough to play the music for herself, but—John Lade tells us in an informative sleeve-note—died at a great age only very recently.)
The Mexican orchestra play Dolly very well (as they do everything else); and are well recorded. I do not pretend to know whether many children will enjoy the record; but am quite sure that very many adults will!'