Boismortier’s final surviving set of trio sonatas, the [IV] Sonates pour deux flutes traversieres avec la basse, Op. 78, dates from late 1739 or early 1740. With this set the composer has, in a sense, come full circle, as these works recall his very first ‘sonates en trio’, Op. 4, of 1724: both sets are scored for two flutes and continuo and all sonatas have four movements.

But while the earlier works are outwardly French — French movement titles, dynamics and tempo indications, and use of Fr...