Let us get one thing clear. Despite the odd title there is no whispering on this disc. The booklet promises performances of Mozart’s Lieder that remain confined within their ‘delicate and simple limits’, as if the words are being intimately whispered in a salon, but what we hear is Mozart-singing not appreciably different in style from other singers of recent years – except, that is, for the distinctive beauty of Marianne Beate Kielland’s voice.

While most Mozart Lieder discs have been recorded by sopranos or occasionally tenors, Kielland is a mezzo who can draw upon darker, more deeply rooted colours. In the simpler, strophic songs like ‘An die Einsamkeit’ and ‘Im Frühlingsanfang’ there is a bright surface to the voice that keeps heaviness at bay, and ‘An die Freundschaft’ especially benefits from her gleaming tone. As Mozart ventures towards greater complexity in the Lied, she is able to bring a deeper seriousness into play, giving weight to the heartfelt feelings of ‘Das Lied der Trennung’ and casting a shadow of grief over ‘Abendempfindung’ (how lovely, incidentally, was Elisabeth Grümmer in this song). In Eine kleine Deutsche Kantate, K619, after Nils Anders Mortensen’s stately introduction, Kielland follows a grand opening recitative with a more flowing, warmly coloured main aria.

There is little or nothing here not to like. Those who prefer a high voice in their Mozart Lieder might turn to Barbara Bonney (Teldec, 1/92), who has an appealing lightness of touch. The classic disc casting a giant shadow over this repertoire is the pairing of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Walter Gieseking (EMI/Warner Classics, 2/56), and their Mozart really is in a different style, mainly thanks to Schwarzkopf’s gift for wringing the maximum import out of every phrase. Whisper it softly, but Kielland may be the safer choice.