Schubert: Die Nacht

The rich baritone of the cello dovetails amazingly well with the guitar in this thoughtfully assembled programme. The songs, mainly on the theme of night, sit easily on both instruments, the intimacy seeming ever closer with this combination—“Der Leiermann” from Winterreise is particularly successful. In the larger Arpeggione Sonata (originally written for a six-stringed, guitar-like bowed instrument), the rewards are even greater: The piece simply oozes melody, and Anja Lechner and Pablo Márquez make it sing at every opportunity. The night theme continues with three lovely nocturnes by Friedrich Burgmüller, evocatively done here. The recorded sound is wonderful too.