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The flute and the harp are possibly the two quintessential French instruments. The flute's cool, pure tone and the harp's ethereal, delicate pluck exemplify that sensuous rationality (or is it rational sensuousness?) that seems so French. Heard together, the effect is, well, magnifique! On this EMI CD, Emmanuel Pahud, the purest toned of all flutists, is joined by harpist Mariko Anraku for a program of mostly delicate and reflective works -- some originally for flute and harp (like Fauré's Sicilienne). It's not all dreamy, though. Ibert's Entr'acte alternates energetic passages with contemplative ones, and Vittorio Monti's Csárdás is an unrepentantly virtuosic showpiece, Hungarian accent and all. The real surprise, though, is Toward the Sea III by the great 20th century Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Not that Takemitsu's music is particularly difficult. Indeed, despite some dissonance and jagged melodic writing, the music is only a step away from Debussy's fragrant Impressionism. It also provides a perfect segue into a wonderfully evocative, traditional Japanese work, "Haru no Umi" (The Sea in Spring) by Michio Miyagi. Pahud and Anraku, who have been collaborating since 1990, obviously enjoy making music together. Intelligently conceived and exquisitely performed, Beau Soir is, quite simply, a classy disc. Andrew Farach-Colton, Barnes & Noble