The momentous importance of Franz Schubert for the Lied genre has been compared to that of Shakespeare for the theatre – the same kind of...

The momentous importance of Franz Schubert for the Lied genre has been compared to that of Shakespeare for the theatre – the same kind of instinctive and inexplicable genius, appearing without forewarning, unparalleled in its own era and never surpassed by later exponents. At the age of 17 he composed Gretchen am Spinnrade, often described as a milestone in the history of vocal music, and the more than 600 songs that followed it form an entire universe of emotions, atmospheres and moods – from the touching, utterly convincing portrayals of the joy and despair of young love in Bei dir allein! and Lied des Florio, to the almost Gothic drama of Der Zwerg and the utter despondency of Totengräbers Heimweh. This programme also includes some of Schubert's best-known songs, such as the carefree An Silvia, the serene Litanei, and the first Suleika song, regarded by Johannes Brahms as the most beautiful of all Lieder. Besides having a highly successful career in opera, the Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling has made a name for herself in concert and recital, and her previous recording for BIS – the Strauss recital Rote Rosen – was highly regarded on its release in 2010: 'The luminous and lyrical soprano of Camilla Tilling, which keeps its beautiful bloom even in the top register, is a pure joy for the ear' wrote the critic in Fono Forum, while his colleague in International Record Review praised her 'rounded golden tone' and her 'ability to float a vocal line that seems to hang effortlessly on the air demanding that time itself should stop.’ As on that disc, she is supported by the eminent pianist and chamber musician Paul Rivinius.