Jonas Kaufmann is nothing if not versatile. Just a few months ago I was reviewing his new recording of Otello (7/20), and now comes his latest album, a personal selection of lieder brought together during the height of the Covid lockdown. And personal is really how it feels: this is a very different Kaufmann, far away from the pressures of the big opera stages, relaxed and clearly in his element, allowing his natural artistry and affinity for the repertoire to shine through.

The sense is heightened by a programme that has an old-fashioned feel to it, and more than a hint of nostalgia. It’s an unapologetic selection of favourites assembled in a loose narrative that takes us from amorous anticipation, through full-blown passion, to withdrawal. A few songs are translated from their original language into German; a couple would normally be classified as bordering on kitsch – Chopin purists might want to steer clear of ‘In mir klingt ein Lied’, for example, which puts Ernst Marischka’s sentimental verse to the tune of the ‘Tristesse’ Étude, Op 10 No 3.

But even that is difficult to resist when performed with such naturalness and ease here by the superstar tenor. Admittedly those years of singing the biggest operatic repertoire have taken their toll. You notice a certain amount of strain and effort, a lack of honeyed tone (especially evident in Schumann’s ‘Mondnacht’), and the fact that the tenor’s pianissimos are too often a breathy croon. The opening ‘Der Musensohn’ doesn’t exactly skip along as it might, either.

But there’s ample recompense in the richness and the power of the voice and the charisma. And what makes this selection so enjoyable is the evident enjoyment of Kaufmann himself: there’s a special heartfelt sincerity to Carl Bohm’s ‘Still wie die Nacht’ (something of a Wunderlich speciality), a freshness to Mendelssohn’s ‘Auf Flügeln des Gesanges’, a moving straightforwardness to Friedrich Silcher’s ‘Ännchen von Tharau’. A beautiful account of ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ provides a moving, thoughtful conclusion.

The tenor occasionally encroaches a little too far into Heldentenor territory in some of the other repertoire, but the whole programme is characterised by a genuineness of expression and sincerity that are difficult to resist. Helmut Deutsch’s piano is not in the best condition but his typically superb playing underpins an eminently likeable album that, a few quibbles aside, offers a great deal to enjoy.