Napoléon Coste, remembered principally today by guitarists, was one of the main contributors to the romantic era's oeuvre for guitar, alongside the Hungarian Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806–1856) and the Italian Giulio Regondi (1822–1872). Coste's catalogue lists 53 opus numbers, plus several unnumbered works. His output includes a number of pieces for oboe, some of which use a guitar for the accompaniment, while others use either piano or harp. Two such works open our programme: the Concertino and the Sonata. The remaining three compositions by Coste are classic morceaux caractéristiques, perfectly suited to the rich vein of salon pieces that were in vogue in Paris during that period.

The programme ends with two short pieces by French composers who were contemporaries of Coste: Hyacinthe Eléonore Klosé and Stanislas Verroust. Oboist Enrico Calcagni has previously recorded works for solo oboe of the 20th and 21st centuries for Dynamic (CDS 756) and, more recently, the Solos de concerto for oboe and piano by Stanislas Verroust (CDS7696), in a world première recording.