‘I like contrasts’, Ibert was fond of saying. All six works on this CD show his absolute mastery of orchestral writing, each one of quite different form and inspiration. The uproarious Divertissement is Ibert’s most popular work while the highly coloured Escales (Ports of Call), an overnight sensation after its first performance, brings together impressions brought back from a long journey through the Mediterranean. The fiery scherzo, Bacchanale, with its dazzling colours and rhythms is a virtuoso showpiece.