It is difficult to believe that Adrianne Pieczonka has built up some years of experience of singing taxing Strauss and Wagner roles in the opera house. Heard under the close scrutiny of a Lieder recital, her soprano retains a bloom that is positively youthful. Only when the voice hits an awkward spot (F sharp and G at the top of the stave) are flaws revealed, and that is not enough to negate enjoyment in this welcome disc. Her programme features two groups each of half a dozen songs by Strauss with Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder in between. In loving or sensuous Strauss songs, such as ‘Einerlei’ and ‘Rote Rosen’, the basic warmth of Pieczonka’s luminous voice sets a sort of Straussian ideal. ‘Du meines Herzens Krönelein’ is affectionately playful and accompanied with a light touch by Brian Zeger (compare Strauss himself at the piano, casually flamboyant). Of the more famous songs, ‘Ruhe, meine Seele!’ and ‘Zueignung’ rise to their lofty sentiments without heaviness. ‘Morgen!’, slightly lumpy, is not her best and ‘Befreit’, though often radiant, is flecked with strain at crucial moments. By contrast, Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder rarely venture into Pieczonka’s narrow danger zone and the result is a performance of lambent beauty. ‘Im Treibhaus’ and ‘Träume’ especially, the two studies for Tristan und Isolde, radiate glowing soprano warmth, sympathetically seconded by Zeger.

There is plenty of choice if one wants a soprano in Strauss. Among voices of a comparable size, Margaret Price is a personal favourite, floating long, silken lines of an exquisite cut. Or, for double-cream richness, there is Jessye Norman. Competition in the Wagner is less intense, at least for sopranos with piano accompaniment, and it would be hard to do better than Pieczonka’s radiant performance. At just over 50 minutes the programme is not generous, but the expressive beauty of the singing certainly is.