Danny Driver (piano), BBC Scottish SO/Rory MacdonaldHyperion CDA 67880 ***

The two piano concertos by Erik Chisholm (1904-1965) encapsulate two of the composer's major musical interests. The first, titled Pìobaireachd, was completed in 1937 and takes inspiration from the music of his native Scotland. The second, Hindustani, completed in 1949 and revised up to 1953, stems from Chisholm's friendship with the composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, and the musical exposures of his war-time service in the Far East (where, among his other achievements, he founded a symphony orchestra in Singapore). Chisholm was a modernist, and attracted the nickname MacBartók because of the nature of his interest in Scottish music. The concertos are well-energised, and the piano writing is fluid. But in spite of the fact that Chisholm had no fear of dissonance, the overall character of the pieces remains on the bland side. iti.ms/Hf7TXq