The Belgian Joseph Jongen (1873-1953) was a prolific composer of orchestral and chamber music, plus a substantial contribution to the repertoire for his own instrument, the organ. The pieces on this disc, mostly dating from the 1920s and comprising his complete chamber music with harp, often suggest Debussy or Ravel, with modal and whole-tone harmonies.

The Concerto à Cinq, inhabiting a similar sound-world to Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with luminous, continually varied textures, is the most substantial work. I particularly enjoyed the languid central movement, where the harp has only a subsidiary role. In the Introduction et Danse, too, the harp mainly accompanies the elaborate and sometimes virtuosic viola part, but everywhere else it’s a prominent chamber music partner.

All the music sounds pleasant, but it’s not really very memorable, with the exception of the simple but haunting Danse lente, and the solo Valse, where the reminiscences of waltz melodies are continually dissolving in clouds of filigree passagework.

The playing, always well tuned and sensitively blended, certainly doesn’t do a disservice to the music, but I did look for more decisive interpretations. A stronger determination to make each section, each phrase, speak to us in a particular way, pressing the music on, for example, to a climax, might have made me feel more enthusiastic. As it is, the overall effect of music and performance is a rather weak one; the listener’s interest and emotions are only mildly aroused.