In her latest recording, Barton shows that she is a dab hand at contemporary repertoire and artistry on a more intimate scale...Throughout this recital, Barton and Heggie move seamlessly from the dramatic (‘Ice Cube Aria’ from the opera If I were you) to the droll (‘Once Upon a Universe’ in Of Gods and Cats), the mezzosoprano’s tone clear as a bell.

Barton’s all-embracing talent – her powerful presence, her spectacular vocal equipment – has a whole lot of Heggie to get hold of here. But there’s a whole lot of motivation…Heggie’s way with music, the way in which his choices unlock and intensify the poetry and drama of the words, is consistently illuminating, full of surprises.

This is an instantly loveable recital, with Barton’s huge, rich mezzo captured to perfection by the Pentatone engineers and the affectionate chemistry between singer and composer-pianist radiating from every phrase.

Barton’s solo album is devoted to Heggie’s art songs and it’s a tribute to his output that he sustains the interest for over an hour with a variety that stands comparison with, say, Poulenc in the 20th century, lavishing sumptuous tone on the cycle written for Barton, The Work at Hand.