In the guise of a lullaby collection, this recording offers something for everyone, from the sappy and schmaltzy to the tender and endearing, from Haydn and Schubert to Sondheim and Zemlinsky. And while you’re enjoying the gentle and heartfelt spirit of Angelika Kirchschlager’s performance, you may wonder what some of these tunes are doing here–“Edelweiss”; Mozart’s “Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling”–but, ultimately it’s the mood and Kirchschlager’s clear and confident mezzo that carries the album, which is gilded with tried-and-true favorites such as Brahms’ “Wiegenlied”, Canteloube’s “Brezairola” (from Songs of the Auvergne), and traditional songs “All through the night” and “The Little Horses”. The program is further distinguished by the presence of accompanists John Williams (guitar), Yuri Bashmet (viola), and Roger Vignoles and Helmut Deutsch (piano). Kirchschlager is especially affecting in the Schubert and Brahms selections, and must be commended for inserting several little-known but worthwhile gems into the collection, the highlight of which is Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Süsse, süsse Sommernacht”. Listeners expecting lots of soft and cozy bedtime cooing will be disappointed; Kirchschlager really performs these songs in full recital mode–certainly a style more suitable for waking than sleeping, but after all, this is really an album for grown-ups whose wakeful attention will be pleasantly rewarded. The sound is notable for the clarity and naturalness of the vocal timbre and for the judicious balance of voice and instruments.
