The Swedish composer Albert Schnelzer (b1972) attracted a modicum of attention in the UK when his Tim Burton tribute A Freak in Burbank was played at the 2010 Proms. If there is nothing of comparable wit on this new disc (only the second dedicated to his music), there is much to intrigue and fascinate. Not least Tales from Suburbia (2012), a fantasy on the idea of suburbs and what they represent in terms of society and environment. Unfolding as a series of variants (not variations per se) on what went before, it is mindful to throw an unpredictable element into the mix to avoid uniformity – the prevailing mood being one of wistful fatalism.

The other two works here are larger, multi-movement designs which give a good idea of this composer’s strengths and limitations. Both draw upon his early attachment to Pink Floyd. Crazy Diamond (2011) is a cello concerto that draws inspiration from the ill-fated career of founder Syd Barrett, its four movements outlining a (biographical?) scenario from serenity, through impulsiveness and agitation, to an inward resignation. Claes Gunnarsson is the eloquent soloist, while Benjamin Shwartz secures a deft response from the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, as he also does in Brain Damage (2014), a concerto for orchestra that focuses in more generalised terms on individual responsibility and the difficulty in succeeding. Formally it follows a straightforward fast-slow-fast format, with the central Largo exuding a contemplative calm to offset the energetic while anonymous music on either side.

Throughout, Schnelzer is revealed as an expert orchestrator with a thoughtful and appealing mindset. Perhaps a slightly more reckless approach might be of benefit to his music in future; for now, the technical finesse and expressive poise of these pieces are their own justification.