PINKHAM Preludes for Piano, Book II. Romances. Forest Music. Snowflakes. Barcarole. Blue Blazes. Musings. October Music • Sally Pinkas (pn); Evan Hirsch (pn) • ARSIS 163 (69:38)

The late Daniel Pinkham was an intellectually nimble and engaging composer, as is well reflected in this collection of music for two pianos and solo music, performed by a duo he was closely associated with (and the dedicatees of much of his piano output). In previous reviews of his piano music, including Volume 1 of this series with the same musicians, I found him to be elegant and self-effacing, yet still involving, drawing a number of influences together into a discernable voice. We get more of the trenchant Preludes that I admired in my review of Volume 1. Forest Music and October Music are four-hand suites for young pianists, although when they are played with the panache and precision of the Hirsch/Pinkas piano duo, there is nothing juvenile about the music. Pros often have a way of making music for children sound more challenging than it really is, as is often the case for similar material from Schumann, Bartók and Shostakovich. In this instance, the music fits comfortably with the rest of the program.

Pinkham was never going to set the world on fire with his music. His combination of erudition, polished technique, and indifference to the style de jour marks him as a classic conservative New England composer. In a white-bread world, this is tasty multi-grain fare. Dig in. in.

FANFARE: Peter Burwasser