The Danses concertantes show Stravinsky at his most good-humoured, at his most genial, even, and it is good to have a performance of them in which wit, grace and tenderness emerge as strongly as the necessary rhythmic precision and vigorous energy. Above all, one is aware that this, though not written with any choreographer in mind, is essentially a ballet score of spare but beautiful elegance. The essence of Pulcinella, Gibson seems to suggest, is its Italian-ness, which is to say its lyricism. The lovely oboe line of the second movement, the Serenata, is characteristic: a more relaxed reading than most, the vitality of the quicker movements not depending on hell-for-leather tempos, and with Latin warmth much in evidence—there is rather more Pergolesi here (though no less Stravinsky) than usual. Both works are chamber scores, and the admirably clear and open CD sound emphasizes this, each instrument allowed (as Gibson does) its own individuality.'