Of the many short piano works by Henrique Oswald (1852-1931), Il neige is the best-known – and the one that links him neatly to the second composer on this disc. Out of 647 entries, Il neige was awarded first prize in a 1902 competition sponsored by Le Figaro and won on the unanimous vote of a jury headed by Saint-Saëns and Fauré. Oswald, Brazilian-born, European-trained, went on to play two-piano recitals with Saint-Saëns in Paris and later in Rio de Janeiro.

I was less than enthusiastic when I reviewed Oswald’s Piano Concerto back in 2014 (Artur Pizarro with Martyn Brabbins on Hyperion). I still find it too episodic and thematically weak to make a completely favourable impression, but I was at least charmed by the less overtly virtuoso reading by Clélia Iruzun and Jac van Steen. I warmed to the slow movement, with its echoes of Fauré, and thoroughly enjoyed the tarantella finale. The piano tone is fuller, the recorded sound weightier and more rounded than Hyperion’s. In short, though Oswald’s is neither a great nor important contribution to the genre, it is at least well constructed, expertly orchestrated and passes a pleasant half hour.

The Egyptian Concerto of Saint-Saëns comes off very well even with a few minor moments of ensemble imprecision. The second movement, with its multicultural medley of Javanese gamelan effects and a Nubian love song, is beautifully rendered. The Molto allegro finale may not have the fire-breathing intent of Darré (EMI, 7/97 – nla), Hough, Chamayou or (most recently) the wonderful account by Alexandre Kantorow but, by judicious pacing, Iruzun and van Steen build to an impressively executed peroration.

With commendable initiative, Iruzun adds as a makeweight the Suite antiga (‘Suite in the Old Style’) by another Brazilian, Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920). He also studied in Europe before returning home to become a major figure in Brazil’s musical life, succeeding Oswald as director of the Instituto Nacional de Música in Rio de Janeiro in 1906. The Suite, as the booklet points out, is ‘closely modelled on Grieg’s Suite from Holberg’s Time’, which tells you all you need to know about its four delightful short movements.

As on their earlier album of Mignone and Albéniz concertos (2/18), the artists have been well served by recording engineer Ben Connellan. Altogether, another rewarding disc from this team and this label.