My introduction to violinist Alexandre da Costa and conductor Jesús Amigo came from their superb 2005 recording of Luís de Freitas Branco’s gloriously tuneful Violin Concerto for Disques 21 – a disc well worth searching out. Amigo’s reading of the Portuguese Branco’s Second Symphony (1926) – again, with the fine Extremadura Symphony Orchestra from Western Spain, though this time for ATMA – offers still more cause for celebration. Not only is the performance compelling but the score itself is another charmer. Opening with a portentous flourish of scales, the first movement quickly gives way to a tender, chant-like tune that was likely inspired by the entry of the composer’s sister into a convent. The music then veers between this atmospherically religious lyricism and a more vociferous style of discourse.

Tchaikovskian melancholy permeates the songful Andantino. The Scherzo, by contrast, is motivically and rhythmically single-minded, evoking a menacing obsessiveness; even the gentler central Trio section moves in fits and starts. Some of the Scherzo’s unsettled harmonies return in the finale, though after a profound yet strangely understated struggle, the chant-like tune of the opening returns in triumph.

Armando José Fernandes’s Violin Concerto (1948) is less immediately appealing, though I found that repeated listening revealed countless felicities. Like Branco’s Symphony, the Concerto is predominantly lyrical, though not nearly as melodically effusive. Rather, one’s pleasure comes from Fernandes’s piquant harmonies and finely detailed orchestration. Da Costa plays the challenging solo part with affection and self-effacing technical aplomb. Urgently recommended to those who yearn to wander off the beaten track.