This is a wonderful recital, in almost all respects. The first thing to grab my attention was the mesmerisinly lovely playing Andreas Haefliger, one of the greatest living pianists...[in Erlkönig] Haefliger's accompaniment is so vivid that I'd enjoy it by itself; Goerne doesn't characterise the three persons as much as many singers, but he still packs a stunning punch...I would rank this among the finest discs I have ever heard.

Though often idiosyncratic, his readings are never less than thoughtful – and his original takes on well-known (and less well-known) songs frequently offer intelligent and bold new insight...Goerne and Haefliger rarely seem to break a sweat, an attitude that can sometimes come over as lack of effort...But their refined style demonstrates its own supreme skill, and there is no shortage of illumination and pleasure to be had

Goerne’s latest Schubert recital, mostly comprised of little-known songs, is one of the baritone’s most accomplished...German baritone animates [Erlkönig] with a wonderful range of voices and inflections: his timbre has lost none of its wraparound warmth and depth but is equally capable of tenurial lightness.

His darkly mellow baritone, soft-grained yet with reserves of power, is a perfect instrument for the pantheistic reveries and barcarolles on this new disc...even doubters might have to concede that no singer cares more than Goerne for the beauty and eloquence of Schubert's melodies

This is a most interesting and instructive Schubert recital, performed throughout with tact and great musical intelligence

The narrative songs are perhaps the most convincing of all. Erlkönig crackles with excitement: the thrill of the chase rumbles through the piano while Goerne imbues the narrative with passion and intensity, depicting the three characters with admirably individualistic sound colours...It’s a joy that Goerne and Haefliger have given us a recital that shows off so many facets of his artistry in such an admirably skilful way.

With his dark, nutty baritone and powers of characterisation, he is a near-ideal interpreter of Erlkönig; with the sublime Haefliger as his pianist, he revels in the gentler panoramas, too.

Sometimes in the more agitated reveries Goerne seems to be musing with himself rather than singing to an audience. However, cloudy intonation usually vanishes when the songs are calm and gentle. The prayerful ecstasy of Im Abendrot is an absolute wonder. Klage, another nature song, isn’t far behind, each word shaped and pitched with the sort of delicacy