Our July Recording of the Month is Hoffnung (the word means hope), an up-beat and beautifully presented recital from Samuel Hasselhorn, the latest volume in the German baritone’s Schubert 200 project with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz (Harmonia Mundi HMM902779).

“From the very first song, Im Freien (In the Open Air), the striking synergy between Hasselhorn and Bushakevitz is immediately apparent. There is a captivating pliability in the pulsing accompaniment matched by the mellifluous expressivity of the voice,” writes Tony Way in a five-star review. “Such expressivity brings hopeful expectancy to Alinde, while the clouds that overshadow the happy recollection of Im Frühling demonstrate the dramatic versatility of Hasselhorn’s baritone.”

In a wide-ranging recital, Bushakevitz comes into his own in An die Laute; the piano becoming a strummed lute to which the young lover whispers secrets as he serenades his beloved. “Three Shakespeare settings contain plenty of contrast,” continues Way. “The most famous, What is Sylvia?, bounces with joyful confidence, while Hark, Hark, the Lark! sparkles with a subtle teasing quality.”

Translating Schubert Lieder from their original domestic context into a professional arena...