this latest recital from Hänssler is a classic in every way...Banse consistently uses her exceptionally sweet and pure voice with extraordinary precision, hitting exposed top notes effortlessly and shading her tone most subtly...When it comes to Tatyana's Letter Scene, [she] is masterly in drawing the contrasted sections together, helped by Christoph Poppen and his Saarbrucken orchestra, with its glorious horn section.

Banse sings with silvery clean, gently warmed beauty. However, her character analyses are occasionally rather odd. Take Lauretta, the love-struck innocent of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi. Banse has branded her a duplicitous fibber, and transformed her tender 'O mio babbino caro' into a hammed-up parody. However, there's still much to be savoured, including a particularly profound reading of Weber's 'Leise, leise, fromme Weise'.

The voice is a full lyric and quite beautiful, with plenty of warmth, security at all dynamic levels and a clear, even line from top to bottom...Her Mimì is sung directly and sweetly...Her Tatyana is breathless and girlish, and she sounds utterly sincere in every mood change and moment of self-doubt. Micaëla's aria is simply gorgeous, the tone solid, the legato ideal.