Melody Eötvös is an Australian composer with an intriguing sense of storytelling in her music; pieces abound with surprising titles, and that sense of a tale unfolding is reflected in her colourful music. Here, Alex Raineri plays three Eötvös works, beginning with the Piano Sonata No. 2 A Story from the Sand Dunes (see what I mean?), as well as the playful Six Minikins and Danaid.

The Sonata is the meat of this release. Drawing on Hans Christian Andersen’s story of the same name, it’s about the life of the young man, Jörgen, living on the shores of Jutland, blissfully unaware that he’s really a member of the Spanish nobility, his family having died in a storm at sea.

Eötvös’ response begins with the exploratory “The Shore’s Playground”, which reminded me almost of the bittersweet harmonies of a composer like Federico Mompou. The Party is a fiesta of repeated notes blurring and swirling, although it’s rather melancholy since the party of the title is in fact a wake. In Aesepige”(a housekeeper), Jörgen loves and,...