Two sonatas for violin and piano, two for cello and piano, all composed before 1905 (strangely, no sonatas for his own instruments, the piano and organ). Then three small-scale sonatas appear unexpectedly in the same year (1921), one each for oboe, bassoon and clarinet. As the fine pianist on this welcome issue, Akanè Makita, observes, ‘they hardly seem to be by the same composer as the sonatas for strings, the piano trios and quartets, and indeed the concertos and virtuoso works for violin and piano. Gone are the cascades of sounds…the endless development of subjects.’ In addition, they famously take no account of any of the musical revolutions that had erupted in the previous decade or so. Saint-Saëns remained true to his credo of elegance, symmetry and form. The sonatas may lack depth but, interestingly, there are passages in these works that seem more personal and revealing than many of his earlier, more substantial compositions. Take the first movement of the Bassoon Sonata, the second of the Oboe Sonata (with its echoes of the ‘Air du rossignol’ from Parysatis) or the opening theme of the Clarinet Sonata, all played here with finesse and no little degree of charm by their respective soloists.

My favourite recording of these chamber works is by the Nash Ensemble (Hyperion, 7/05). This is on two discs and also has the Piano Quartet and Piano Quintet, though not the two Romances, for horn and flute. Hyperion also features the Tarantelle in A minor, Op 6, for flute, clarinet and piano. I think Brilliant Classics missed a trick by not adding this six-minute charmer to the running time of 66'54". The Henry Wood Hall offers an airier acoustic for Hyperion but otherwise there is, frankly, little to choose between the performances on either label. Your decision to invest in one of the other can confidently be determined by your repertoire needs.