Amazon.com essential recordingSchumann set a lot of Heine's verses to music, and indeed these two quintessential romantics complement and enhance each other's rapturously poetic language. This record presents both at their best in three rather unfamiliar, heartbreaking songs about unrequited love, as well as the two great cycles, Liederkreis and Dichterliebe, the latter in its first version, which includes four beautiful songs Schumann later eliminated, for reasons unknown, but regarded highly enough to publish separately. He also made other changes, not necessarily for the better, so this recording offers a rare and welcome opportunity to hear what he originally had in mind. The performance is beyond praise. Hampson's voice is warm, pure, beautiful, sensitively inflected for expression, not for vocal effect; his approach is simple, natural, inwardly expressive. His diction is exemplary, and he is aware of every subtle nuance in both words and music, including the often bitter irony. Sawallisch, a splendid pianist better known as a conductor, can elicit all the colors of an orchestra from his instrument or make it sing with the most intimate tenderness. --Edith Eisler