Luis Gianneo (1897-1968), along with Juan José Castro, was instrumental in forging an authentically Argentinian musical voice combining European influences with the striking characteristics of local folk music; his music paved the way for Alberto Ginastera and Carlos Guastavino. This is the second of three CDs covering Gianneo’s complete piano music, most of which was composed during the 1930s and ’40s, when the composer fused indigenous folk-music influences with the techniques of neo-classicism.

Unlike the first volume, which contained the Second and Third Piano Sonatas, this disc concentrates on short pieces and collections. The opening track, Bailecito (1931), illustrates Gianneo’s comprehensive absorption of folk music (the bailecito norteño is a northern folk dance) and his often virtuoso piano writing. The Two Etudes from 1933 are particularly dazzling and technically sophisticated, the first in the form of a vidala (a lyrical vocal form, usually accompanied by drums and arpeggio-style guitar), the second developing the well-known traditional folksong Zamba de Vargas. The impressive Prelude En el Altiplano (‘In the Altiplano’) is a work of imposing dramatic scope, while the Three Argentinian Dances are more earthbound contemporaries to Ginastera’s Danzas argentinas. However, most of the music here is technically straightforward, much of it intended for children.

Four pianists share these works between them – all are involved with the Fundación Ostinato, which collaborated with Marco Polo in this series of discs. The performances are always idiomatic although occasionally I wanted rather more variety of tonal colour. However, Dora De Marinis copes marvellously with the demands of the Two Etudes, and Elena Dabul is compellingly evocative in En el Altiplano. The recordings are decent enough, and anyone interested in this repertoire need not hesitate.