I became sceptical when I noted that such a young singer had chosen to record at once these two late sets by Brahms and Wolf. They ought to be the province of baritones and basses (preferably the latter) of mature years, who have garnered the vocal and emotional experience to make the most of two of the profoundest compositions in all the field of Lieder. My scepticism was all too readily confirmed in listening to Schmidt tackle each.

By 1976 Fischer-Dieskau had been performing before the microphone for almost thirty years and was approaching the end of his vocal prime – he turned 51 that year. Yet his mastery of Wolf's intricate, concentrated, turn-on-a-dime idiom was at its height. You can buy any number of individual recitals by him that feature Wolf, and 175 songs on six CDs is a lot to absorb. Nonetheless, this budget repackaging is a must-listen. The singer got a new lease on his artistic life by taking up partnerships with noted pianists like Brendel, Richter, and Barenboim.

Apart from very occasional live performances of the Italian Songbook, Wolf’s 46 remarkable songs can only be experienced and appreciated in their entirety from recordings. This disc from Bonney and Hagegård keeps distinguished company with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Irmgard Seefried (twice: 1958 and 1959); Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (1969); and Ruth Ziesak and Andreas Schmidt (1991). Wolf’s settings of Paul Heyse’s mid-19th-century translations of Italian folk verses offer an intricate and colourful tapestry of reflections on life and love. The craftsmanship of these songs is truly amazing.

Few chamber works rise to the autobiographical level achieved in the two string quartets of Leos Janácek. The First Quartet, subtitled "Kreutzer Sonata," depicts scenes from the novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy and tells the story of an adulterous wife and her resulting death at her husband's hand. Janácek himself was locked in a loveless marriage and found many parallels (without the homicide) in his life. The Second Quartet, "Intimate Letters", draws inspiration from the unrequited love affair the composer had with Kamila Stosslova and the hundreds of passionate letters he was to write to the woman half his age.