Toru Takemitsu's arrangements of a prelude from Erik Satie's 1891 set of incidental music to a Rosicrucian mystery play shows the Japanese composer's sensitivity to tone color and instrumental technique. He asks the flutist (in this case,
Fabrice Pierre) to tune the strings of his harp in an unconventional way to facilitate playing the chordal accompaniment of Satie's music. Flutist
Patrick Gallois shifted from playing a conventional flute to a wooden flute in the 1990s after hearing some of Takemitsu's music for the Japanese instrument the shakuhachi. In this recording, the wooden flute has a warm and intimate quality that enhances the mystery of Satie's music. Both musicians perform with fluency and understanding. Deutsche Grammophon's sound (recorded in 1996 at the Warehouse in London) is close and intimate and this is a very attractive recording.