the pleasure of this Mozartian anthology lies not so much in individual characterisation as in the powerful personal dramaturgy with which Gerhaher shapes his programme. The transformations of love, from tenderness to doubt, instability to cynicism and disillusion, form a little drama within itself...Best of all, there's his irresistable Papageno, revealing every facet of the character's audacity and vulnerability.

it forms a testament, albeit a variable one, to his considerable powers of characterisation. As one might expect, he brings great intelligence to bear on the proceedings. You can hear every word, and when he's at his best, you sense the complete character behind the individual aria…the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, directed by leader Gottfried von der Goltz, are lithe, persuasive accompanists.

the integrity and immediacy of his portraits...will make you feel you’re encountering these familiar characters for the very first time in all their glorious complexity and variety. Playing to the gallery isn’t at all what Gerhaher’s about, but it’s as if we get a vocal costume-change between tracks as he moves from master to servant and back again; every time I listen to this disc it puts a smile on my face and a lump in my throat (often in quick succession, and sometimes even simultaneously)

Gerhaher is more convincing as a patrician in these arias than as a servant, more suavely believable as Don Giovanni than Leporello, more comfortable as Count Almaviva than as a slightly hectoring Figaro, but he makes an endearing Papageno, without too much trace of caricature. However it all came about, it’s a thoroughly rewarding collection.

Here are tunes that could be (and in Mozart's day were) whistled on the street, sung with freshness, clarity and vigour in crisply enunciated Italian and given all the simple charm that the composer intended, as well as vividly individuated personalities…you may think you know this music inside out; Gerhaher will prove that you don't.