Foster, now aged 71, is a composer-pianist said to be "Australia's best-kept secret''.
He will be much less known here but shows the class of a man who trained at the Sydney Conservatorium, went to Paris (on the recommendation of Yehudi Menuhin) for seven years of study with Marcel Ciampi, then broke his arm so started serious composing.
"Melody and harmony are paramount for me,'' he said in a 2008 Gramophone article.
On this disc recorded last year he also impresses with his keyboard talents in seven works: Piano Sonata, two Romances, Six Preludes, an Elegy (in homage to Robert Helpman), Ballade, and Bydlo, a reaction to an artwork inspired by Mussorgsky's music. Most tracks are world premiere recordings.
Verdict: Imaginative, emotionally charged music.
Leonard Slatkin conducts these fine French musicians in the third CD in a series of Ravel's orchestral works, here showing the composer's wonderful skill in orchestration. We hear Chabrier's vibrant Menuet Pompeux, Debussy's Sarabande and Danse, Schumann's ballet-inspired Carnaval, and Mussorgsky's immensely popular Pictures at an Exhibition.
The latter iconic interpretation is given a rousing performance by the large orchestra depicting its various scenes. The skill of Slatkin's direction is evident in all works. More than 100 recordings have given him seven Grammy awards and more than 60 nominations, as well as French and American honours. He revels in Ravel's ability to apply great orchestral colour to other composers' works as brilliantly as he does in his own. The programme is vividly recorded.
Verdict: Exciting performances show Ravel's skill.
