One of the nicest aspects of this reviewing lark is watching and, if possible, encouraging young musicians as they make their first steps into the complex world of professional music-making — and then following them as their careers develop. I often first hear them in student concerts or dusty basements, or in competitions like the former Early Music Network International Young Artists’ Competition (now run by National Centre for Early Music in York). So it is always a thrill when I hear of their successes or, as in the case of The Oboe Band, they send me their first CD. The Oboe Band (who are exactly what they say on the tin) were formed in 2005, were finalists in the 2007 competition, and were Ensemble in Residence at the Royal College of Music from 2006–8. War & Peace is an appropriate tile for their CD, as the early history of the oboe covered both eventualities. The attractively presented programme reflects the history of the instrument and its music during the 17th and early 18th centuries. The inevitable transcriptions work well, particularly the two Purcell suites. The playing is excellent throughout, with some impressive use of articulation and dynamics in their insightful interpretations. I can assure any readers who might think that an entire CD of oboes is the sort of thing designed to annoy the neighbours that this is far more likely to delight. Andrew Benson-Wilson