For the second disc the sound perspective changes from comfortably distant to oppressively close, which renders Brigitte Fassbaender's voice quite harsh at the climaxes. This is unfortunate, for her performances are both probing and beautiful. She's suitably lively in the early Wayfarer and Wunderhorn songs, while in the Rückert Lieder she displays much tenderness and refinement. Fassbaender's Kindertotenlieder also is finely sung, its emotion sincerely and convincingly communicated. Even so, she doesn't plumb the depths of passion and melancholy the way Janet Baker does on any of her recordings. For his part Chailly leads a surprisingly unspectacular rendition of the orchestral accompaniment (especially compared to Bernstein's powerful one for Baker). Still, the coupled Das Klagende Lied more than makes up for any slight deficiencies in the solo songs, and if you're not inclined to seek out these works individually, this set will do quite handsomely.