There’s precious little Portuguese music on disc, so this wide-ranging and superbly played programme by the Galliard Ensemble is particularly valuable. Luís Tinoco (b1969) is the dominant figure, with three works on offer, all cleverly constructed and colourfully scored. I especially enjoyed Autumn Wind’s exploration of divergent yet complementary textures: melody and accompaniment (in the first movement), chordal and contrapuntal (in the second).

Stravinsky and Varèse seem to have had a significant influence on the national style – if, indeed, one can call it that, so varied are the voices represented – with echoes of Petrushka resonating in the pert Cinco miniatures of Eurico Carrapotoso (b1962), and of Octandre in Sete Lembranças para Viera Da Silva by Fernando Lopes-Graça (1906-94). The twitching melodic shapes of Trés fragmentos for solo clarinet by António Pinho Vargas (b1951) also have a Varèsian aspect.

Joly Braga Santos (1924-88) is probably the best-known composer here. His tuneful and almost naively sweet Scherzino does not suggest any real greatness, perhaps, but its simple charm does provide a foil for the edgy modernism of Aspetto by Sérgio Azevedo (b1968) and The Panic Flirt for solo flute by Alexandre Delgado (b1965). Azevedo’s work has the virtue of Boulezian clarity and boasts plenty of imaginative detail; Delgado’s seems more like a litany of special effects. Don’t let that deter you, however. The majority of this music is worth a careful listen, and much of it is enjoyable besides. Warmly recommended.