As I had never heard of this composer before and as my knowledge of Slovak poetry is as non-existent as yours, I thought it would be interesting to first listen to this disc blindfold, as it were. What would his tonal language be? Could I tell from the nature of the music and their performances what they were about? First impressions revealed, surprisingly given the composition dates, a late-Romantic tonal, melodic idiom that put me in mind of Grieg though often with more technically demanding accompaniments. Pavol Breslik (b1979, Slovakia), who has been making a name for himself on the European opera/oratorio circuit, is a pleasingly ardent lyric tenor partnered by Róbert Pechanec, whose full-bodied contributions are given their due weight in the sound picture.

As confirmed by the booklet’s dual texts, the songs – in style they are a mix of folksong and late-Victorian balladry – concern fervent lovers, feckless lovers, unrequited lovers, drinking and Mother Nature. Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský (1881-1958) made several important collections of Slovak songs between 1903 and 1911. He added to these arrangements his own settings of texts by Slovak poets such as Svetozár Hurban Vajanský and Ferko Urbánek, creating works ‘possessing a national or folk tinge’. Attractive as these are, the booklet’s claim that the six songs From the Heart, Op 35, ‘belong to the most popular compositions of all time’ is a trifle over-optimistic, but any number could find a place in a recital. The 25 songs come in a sturdy, handsomely produced booklet.