he Danish composer Gustav Helsted (1857-1924) was perceived by his contemporaries as modern and radical. As an advocate of the new, Late Romantic currents that he had encountered on his travels to Germany, France and Italy, he was described in his native Denmark as “... a questing artist who chooses his resources with extremely discerning taste, and who may therefore seem odd and unapproachable”. Today, however, Helsted’s music sounds both charming and accommodating with its strong Romantic expression, and despite the Continental inspiration it is clearly rooted in the Danish tradition and character. On this premiere recording the Danish Sinfonietta and David Riddell present Helsted’s symphonically conceived Decet from 1891 and the dramatic String Quartet in F minor, composed in c.1917.