The third issue in our series of ‘The Songs of Robert Schumann’ introduces the outstanding young German/Swiss soprano Julianne Banse to the Hyperion label in a programme of songs both familiar and unfamiliar, not to say extremely rare. At the hear of the disc is ‘Frauenliebe und leben’ recorded for the first time with Chamisso’s final poem (unset by Schumann), spoken by Miss Banse to complete the story: ‘Traum der eignen Tage’ (Dream of my own days that now are distant). The most extraordinary songs on the disc are the cycle of Seven Songs to the words of Elisabeth Kulmann, a gifted girl who died at the age of seventeen, who Schumann admired enough to write this ‘song biography’ of her, with his own words (recorded here) introducing each song. As usual the CD comes with Graham Johnson’s fascinating and exhaustive notes (over 40,000 words) with which collectors of our Schubert Edition are now well familiar.

Most of the music on this album is also available as part of the specially priced box set Schumann: The Complete Songs: 'A landmark issue no serious collector should be without' (The Mail on Sunday).