The Fantasy for Horn Quintet (1922) is a gorgeous, 11-minute hunk of Romantic passion that's amazingly colorful in tone and texture given the limited forces involved. Urgently expressive and beautifully written for the horn, it's a serious addition to this noble instrument's limited chamber music repertoire. Stephen Stirling plays his part with gusto and sensitivity to proper balances, and the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet displays obvious commitment as well as plenty of energy and affection. The string tone is a touch bright, as is the tremendously vivid recording, but I doubt anyone will mind given the interest of the repertoire. In fact, all three works are premiere recordings, and I find it a bit hard to believe that it has taken so long. Even if you dislike Stanford's symphonies (patchy as they admittedly are), these expertly crafted pieces could well win you over to the cause.