Frederick Block? No, me neither, and if you know the story of Austrian music in the 20th century you can probably guess why. Block (as we learn in Simon Wynberg’s excellent booklet notes for this recording from Toronto’s ARC Ensemble) was born into a Viennese Jewish family in 1899 and studied composition with Hans Gál before making a splash on Vienna’s post-1918 new music scene – supported, as he did so, by his family’s manufacturing fortune. His opera Samum was premiered in Pressburg (now Bratislava).

Then came the Anschluss. Exiled to New York, Block made a living as a commercial arranger while composing concert music (including three symphonies) for the desk drawer – where it seems to have remained after his premature death in 1945. But here he is once more: premiere recordings of four of his chamber works in passionate, idiomatic performances by ARC Ensemble. If you love Viennese late romanticism, you should dive straight in.

Korngold is probably the best point of reference. Block’s lyricism and harmonic lushness (very much in evidence in the Piano Trio No 2) are offset by an angular (at times almost jazzy) rhythmic sense and an iridescent, often sultry harmonic language. Block has a sardonic wit, and the delightful Suite Op 73 evokes Les Six. It’s a piquant contrast to the nocturnal poetry and unbuttoned exuberance (what an opening!) that defines the expansive three-movement Piano Quintet of 1929.

The String Quartet Op 23 emulates Mahler’s Ninth, with a second scherzo instead of a slow movement – a deadpan, delightfully quirky dance ‘in Marionette style’. Block is a composer with a voice of his own, and with exemplary annotation, good recorded sound and polished, heartfelt performances, this album is a handsome piece of advocacy that leaves you wanting more. Now, how about one of those symphonies?