The current revival of interest in Norwegian composer Eyvind Alnaes (1872-1932) owes much to Toccata's championing of his work. Their latest disc of his music focuses on his songs, regarded by connoisseurs as the among the finest things in his smallish output. Classified as post-Romantic, Alnaes trained in Leipzig, and his Op 6 settings of Heine and Burns (1896) are characterised by a turbulence he later seemed anxious to avoid. After 1900, his songs were marked by declamatory vocal lines over sparse accompaniments, though his piano writing became more elaborate and impressionistic in the 1920s under the influence of Debussy. At his best he can be discreetly erotic and quietly spiritual. But his avoidance of grand gestures results in a sameness of mood when his songs are heard in quantity. They're exquisitely performed by ultra-refined mezzo Ann-Beth Solvang and pianist Erik R Eriksen, but the disc works best if you listenselectively.