Carlos Guastavino, an Argentinian, is one of those composers whose unswerving belief that there are still plenty of good tunes to be written in C major caused him to be brushed aside by the tide of the avant-garde, not least in his own country. This amiable and energetic man, who belies his 83 years, lives alone and lives to write only what pleases him; that it also pleases others is evident in the growing number of recordings of his songs and piano music during the past few years, a thing that has brought him much pleasure in his autumnal years. He does not play the guitar but, as a South American, he can scarcely escape from its sounds, or from absorbing a goodly measure of how its music should be – nor does he wish to. Maria Isabel Siewers, also Argentinian, is his friend and collaborator, one who understands well that the music of their country is Hispanic, but ‘spoken’ with a demonstrative Italian accent. This is just as true in the three formally disciplined sonatas as it is in the overtly folk-musical items and in Jeromita Linares, the name of an old lady whom Guastavino remembers fondly from his childhood. The performances by Siewers and her colleagues, and the quality of the recording, should boost the impulse which one hopes may keep Guastavino going for another decade or so. If you’re willing to be seduced (in the nicest possible way), open your ears to this love-motivated music.'