The short individual pieces on this recording, the Valsas, Improvisos and Momentos show the sweeter side of Guarnieri’s musical language. The Waltz is a format in which every Brazilian composer has expressed his national character, making it almost a new distinctive format. Guarnieri’s Valsas share a minor key, and typically present internal melodies shared between the hands, and wreathed in chromatic modulations and decorations. Their mood is one of longing, now almost completely shorn of its dance character. The effect of all these pieces, many of them extreme miniatures, is of gentle nostalgia.

This recital is organised into three groups, each containing a varied selection of short pieces, ending with a Sonatina. No chronological plan is implied, and given the often decades long gap between composition and publication none seemed relevant in the construction of the programme.

Martin Jones has been one of Britain’s most highly regarded solo pianists since first coming to international attention in 1968 when he received the Dame Myra Hess Award. He has made over 90 recordings with Nimbus Records exploring music that is not often played including the complete works of 18 composers.