Who says that the armed forces don’t appreciate fine music (probably nobody, actually)? Jean Cras was not only a sailor, he was an important officer in the French navy and was also a fine composer it to be mentioned in the same breath as Debussy, as this excellent recording shows.

Carefree, sunny music by a captain of the French Navy

The big attraction of Jean Cras’s music from this showing is that though he offers little in the way of musical profundity, his gift of writing in a carefree, sunny way makes his music a delight to hear. Many will be surprised that a composer of such endlessly attractive music can have remained so relatively obscure. The performances and recording could hardly be bettered. Highly recommended.