On these two discs less is more. Which means, unfortunately, that more is less. Letting young composers loose on a full symphony orchestra is always a gamble and, although the Brussels public responded well in 1902 to the 29-year-old Jongen’s Fantaisie, it can’t be said to have worn well – Constant Lambert’s waspish words about folk song arrangement fit the case all too neatly. Jongen’s training with d’Indy means that the orchestration, though a touch solid, is never less than efficient, and at times pleasantly warm, especially in the Impressions d’ardennes. But he finds it hard to take his tunes convincingly beyond the first phrase and really the Cello Concerto, at 30 minutes, is far too long for its material, despite excellent playing all round.

But take away the brass, timpani and massed strings, and add another 20 years’ experience, and a quite different, superior Jongen emerges. Yes, there are touches of Ravel and Roussel in the phrasing and textures, but he has now learnt to give his themes a sharper cut, to build paragraphs that lead the ear on, and to integrate his favourite pentatonic and whole-tone outlines into the discourse. Ensembles wanting to play the Ravel Introduction and Allegro and looking around for complementary pieces will find a good deal here to interest them. I’m not suggesting there’s anything here of similar calibre (where is there?), but the music is shapely, varied in texture and rhythm, and altogether pleasant on the ear. With the Sonate-Duo of 1938, indeed, I would go further and claim it as a seriously neglected work, giving the Ravel Duo a surprisingly close run, albeit in less astringent vein. Maybe Jongen was one of those composers who improve with age; in which case, for instance, the Mass of 1945 and the String Trio of 1948, neither currently in the catalogue, might be worth a listen. I should be happy to hear them played by the forces listed above and, in the case of the Arpae Ensemble, more than happy.