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Following the success of their Odradek Records releases, Flashback and French Connection, Duo Ultima returns with an irresistible programme of Dances & Delights for saxophone and piano, including pieces by Ibert and Piazzolla. Guido Bäumer (saxophone) and Aladár Rácz (piano) have chosen a delectable selection of pieces for this album, each of them exhibiting elements of dance or comedy. There are two Bozza pieces inspired by the Commedia dell’arte: Scaramouche and Pulcinella, and a suite of sweets by Delvincourt, whose 'Croquembouches', dating from the 1920s, features an array of movements inspired by different desserts. As Guido Bäumer describes in the album booklet, “Pascal’s Sonatine is one of the great virtuoso works of the classical saxophone literature, a bravura piece that is an expression of French savoir-vivre, and in the 'Pièces Françaises' by Decruck, the landscapes, smells and images of France come to life via many facets of saxophone technique…” Ibert’s Aria dates from 1930 and was originally written for mezzo-soprano and piano. Its enchanting melody has since been arranged for numerous different instrumental combinations, including saxophone and piano. Piazzolla’s 'Études Tanguistiques' were written in 1987; originally for solo flute, they follow the lineage, from Biber to Bach to Berio, of solo works that display ‘contrapuntal’ characteristics, creating a sense of more than one line in the context of a solo work.