Toivo Kuula's music, despite several outings on disc, has never achieved the international acclaim that much of it deserves. The bulk of his relatively modest output lies in his solo songs, of which nearly half are given here and the best of them stand comparison with the finest by his teacher, Sibelius. There is a scope and power to The Kiss, The Herdsman and Come, my love, while She walks on flowers, the famous Morning Song and In the Cattleyard show a fine, light touch. The majority have a dramatic, at times sombre mood but Kuula's skill in tone-painting - for instance Saturday Evening, with its evocation of church bells, or the very different landscape of Summer Night in the Churchyard - is impressive by any benchmark. And surely there has never been so stern and powerful a setting of the Ave Maria as this.

Tommi Hakala sings with great feeling and commitment and there are points where he and Kuula approach the operatic, as in the despair of Long I gazed into the fire, although Kristian Attila's subtle accompaniments keep both anchored. Ondine's thoughtful selection is an excellent place to start getting to know this remarkable music.