Nicholas Collin and the Aurora Orchestra rise to Zender's challenges handsomely...Allan Clayton is one of a handful of tenors with the vocal dexterity to take on Zender's reworking of Schubert's vocal lines, slipping from a traditional lyrical approach to near Sprechgesang.

[Clayton's] singing is clean and unexaggerated, perhaps all the more affecting as a result...Collon and his orchestra bring real virtuosity and a somewhat ghoulish relish to every one of Zender's effects. No one tackles this Winterreise without full conviction, it seems, and this new recording is no different. With superb recorded sound, it's well worth seeking out.

There’s really nowhere to hide in Zender’s scoring, which demands total synergy between singer and a veritable snowstorm of moving parts, and every unsettling detail lands perfectly here. Clayton is on raw, magnificent form throughout - this is a singer who really comes alive when exploring dark nights of the soul, always willing to take expressive risks when the music demands it (as Zender’s scoring frequently does).

Zender’s orchestral effects can also dislocate the listener in a positive way, stressing nervous tension, menace and madness, or shivering cold...And Clayton is superb. So do give this unconventional Winterreise a spin. The hundreds of traditional interpretations will still be out there whenever required.