This excellent series continues with a selection performed exquisitely by soprano Julia Kleiter. At the programme’s heart are Liszt’s unmissable four settings of Victor Hugo.

Julia Kleiter...sings with a lustrous voice and a keen sense of each song’s character, from the haunting Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth to the splashy Die Loreley, from the high drama of that climaxes Die Macht der Musik to the intimacy that marks Quand tu chantes. Julius Drake, the accompanist of our times, provides his usual knowing and confident support—and the engineering and the notes meet the high standards set by this label. A winner.

The performances here blaze with conviction. Kleiter’s tone is wonderfully even and exceptionally beautiful over a wide vocal range, and her commitment is never for a second in doubt…Drake is similarly at his best here…A marvellous disc and a great recital in its own right, this is arguably the finest instalment of the series to date. Do listen to it.

In all four Julia Kleiter’s beautiful singing and keen articulation of the texts ennobles the songs... Collectors of this Liszt series can safely add this latest issue to their collections, which more and more stands out as one of the most valuable surveys of the song repertoire.