Geminiani’s incidental music to The Inchanted Forrest dates from his last period (c1756). Its first performances seem not to have been particularly successful, but it was one of his first works to be recorded (I remember greatly enjoying a Nonesuch LP about 30 years ago). A great variety of effects are contained in little space (the work lasts about half an hour), ranging from the wistful to the heroic (perhaps even the mock-heroic), and a reasonably varied orchestration (there are horns in the first part, trumpets in the second, and a flute doubles the violins throughout, imparting the sense of mystery inherent in the work’s programme). At times it calls to mind the melodic idiom that Stravinsky was to put to such good use in Pulcinella (try the finale of the Second Act music, or the start of the fifth). It is a beguiling piece, and even though the programme duration verges on the miserly, the disc is worth recommending on the strength of it.

The Italian Baroque Orchestra nicely match the music’s light touch, which belies some tricky passagework. In general they cope well with the latter: only the build-up to the Fourth Act’s Allegro moderato seems to mis-fire slightly. At any rate, it is indeed an ‘inchanting’ piece, well worth discovering.