No typical Italienisches Liederbuch, this. Neither Janet Baker nor John Shirley-Quirk was particularly known for this repertoire – though they’re both so convincing that one can’t guess why. Meanwhile, pianist Steuart Bedford reordered the songs to create some fascinating narrative arcs, maintaining the usual opening song, ‘Even small things can delight us’, but that’s about it. Thus, those who don’t normally go in for Wolf but want to hear these great artists in a significant, previously unreleased performance may find the songbook unexpectedly engaging. And, as one who puts the Italienisches Liederbuch at the summit of the song literature, I was continually excited by new insights at every turn.

By the ninth track on the disc, the songs begin to answer each other. ‘Why this rage…’ (No 32 in Wolf’s order) as sung by Baker is followed by Shirley-Quirk in ‘Let us now make peace’ (Wolf’s No 8). Later, Bedford has a series of indoor/outdoor songs: Wolf’s 20th, ‘Outside my lover is singing in the moonlight’ is sung rhapsodically by Baker, while No 42 has Shirley-Quirk depicting the poor weather-beaten suitor with ‘No longer can I sing for the wind’. In the next two songs, the indoor woman has turned on the beleaguered outdoor man. Baker sings ‘Who called you here, then?’ (Wolf’s No 6), answered by Shirley-Quirk’s ‘I’ve come here to serenade you’ (Wolf’s No 22). ‘No, young sir, this just won’t do’ sings Baker (Wolf’s No 12).

Unlike Mussorgsky, Wolf doesn’t go in for graphic description that nearly shows you the faces of the characters within the songs. But with similar character types grouped together in Wolf, there’s a sense of composite characterisation. You still can’t visualise the feverish denizens of the Italienisches Liederbuch. But you can almost smell them, particularly when Baker sets aside her patrician poise and is seized by the music’s inner volatility. Humour has its due. In ‘You think you can catch me with a thread’, Baker begins with a little-girl voice, giving her plenty of room to build to the song’s punchline, ‘I am in love but not with you’. Shirley-Quirk is wonderful at revealing the emotional complications of his more introspective songs. Why wasn’t this recording released decades ago?