Born in 1914, George Loughlin was a composer, pianist and academic who, as Ormond Professor of Music at the University of Melbourne for 21 years, made a significant contribution to Australian artistic life. Born in Liverpool, he studied under Arthur Benjamin (another Aussie) and Gordon Jacob at the Royal College of Music. After working as a teacher and serving as an organist at Wells Cathedral, he taught at Toronto and Glasgow Universities and, in 1958, relocated down under.

When time permitted, Loughlin composed piano works and chamber music as well as the substantial 1949 choral work Saint Cecilia’s Day. This enterprising disc on the British Toccata label presents most of his chamber output, a great deal seeing the light of day for the first time thanks to the efforts of his son, Michael. The early works were clearly influenced by the English pastoral school with later pieces exploring edgier harmonic territory. All of it is meticulously crafted revealing an impressive classical technique and an engaging compositional personality.

The album opens with the Introduction and Allegro from 1953. It’s instantly...