No woodwind instrument has a large solo repertory, but the flute has been better served than most, and several recitals have come my way recently. This one bears the title ''Twentieth Century Classics for the Flute'' and though it could be better served (only the Prokofiev Sonata is a classic and the Bartok is a transcription), all the works are worth hearing and no one will quarrel with the extra exposure for Martinu, whose uneven but valuable music is now enjoying deserved acceptance. Like the other works, the Prokofiev belongs in fact to the first half of the century: it is wartime music but essentially sunny and according to the composer represents a distillation of his style as ''classical, modernist, lyrical and motoric''.
Judith Hall and Julian Jacobson take a deliberate view of the opening Moderato but present it cogently, and while the recording of the flute is close, her tone and articulation bear this near scrutiny. But one could wish for more caprice, sparkle and fantasy, and not least in the scherzo and finale, agreeably done though they are: the artists could let themselves go more in a movement marked Allegro con brio. The Bartok suite is based upon his 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs for piano and is a transcription by his pupil Paul Arma which to some extent evokes the wide open spaces of the Hungarian puszta and its attractive inhabitants. It sticks faithfully to the original keys, too. But in all honesty I cannot feel that the music allows the flute to be idiomatic, and it omits the G minor Ballade which is No. 6 of the original and is among the finest pieces. The Martinu Sonata of 1945 is an attractive work and more interesting than the Bartok as being conceived for flute and piano; it receives flowing and natural playing that should win it admirers, and this is one performance that has real distinction, being thoughtfully and sensitively shaped throughout by both players.
As for alternatives, the Prokofiev played by Wiesler and Pontinen on BIS/Conifer is a respectable performance but their all-Russian programme is a curate's egg, while the Michael Cox/Nigel Clayton account of the Martinu for Kingdom is also worth having for its freshness. Since all these issues are at full price and adequately recorded (none excels), choice should depend on your interest in the rest of the programme.'