Whether it be melancholy, amorous or piously contemplative, the night - a favourite source of romantic inspiration if ever there was one - is the unbroken thread running throughout this recording of Schubert's part-songs, on which we will find monumental pieces like the 'Gesang der Geister uber dem Wasser' side by side with more descriptive pieces like 'Der Gondelfahrer'. The composer of an abundant body of choral music, Schubert is here in his element, and yet, it is astonishing how little importance he attached to these masterly pieces. Their stunning beauty reveals that they are in no way inferior to the finest of his solo songs. First released in Feb 1999