I think [Mahler] would have approved of Jonas Kaufmann’s ground-breaking decision to take the solo part throughout. It’s not much of a stretch for him – a few low notes apart, the lower register suits this baritenor well enough, and the sensitivity to the quieter settings is undoubted in ‘The Lonely Man in Autumn’…and the desolate narratives of farewell before the earth’s resurgence sweeps all frozen grief aside…it’s certainly worth hearing

played with shimmering detail by the Vienna Philharmonic...As expected, Kaufmann is glorious in the tenor songs. In those for lower voice he sings with the same, unaffected sensitivity...An interesting, one-off experiment.

Kaufmann is dream casting for the tenor songs, rising terrifically to the heroics and darker hues of the opening song but equally identifying the sparkle and piquancy in ‘Von der Jugend’ and the contrasting rapture at the heart of ‘Der Trunkene im Frühling’

It’s actually the songs usually assigned to the contralto/baritone that come off best. Once I’d got my initial inevitable ‘Can he?’s and ‘Should he?’s out of the way, though, vocal technicalities weren’t really at the forefront of my mind: my overwhelming impression is of how well the orchestration and the texts suit Kaufmann, who's always at his best when pouring out angry frustration at full throttle, or ruminating on dark nights of the soul.

Kaufmann certainly has the “baritonal” low notes to justify his decision, and the ringing tenorial top...Kaufmann is more rewarding in the “baritone” songs, his eloquent diction always a pleasure, and with the nuance and sensibility of a great lieder singer...Not perfection, but this is a must-hear for Mahlerians.

Kaufmann tackles Mahler with complete assurance...he has no trouble with the lower-lying songs. He doesn't artificially darken or inflate the tone to cope with the tessitura, so the performances flows naturally...Kaufmann certainly has the tenorial reserves to sail through the high-lying outbursts over thick orchestration as well as colouring his voice differently for each song...Nott's conducting is controlled and precise.

his beautifully recorded version taken from live performances at Vienna’s Musikverein has a great deal to offer, not least of which are Kaufmann’s textual insights, and the revelatory qualities of Jonathan Nott’s interrogation of Mahler’s orchestrations...Kaufmann is able to caress and float phrases at will, and enter into the composer’s more melancholy reflections at his leisure.