This twenty-eighth issue in The Hyperion Schubert Edition presents twenty-two songs from 1821 and 1822. These were not the most prolific of years for Schubert in terms of song output; the bulk of his energies were being directed towards the world of opera and an attempt to counter the wave of public enthusiasm for Rossini. However, the composer's confidence in his own abilities – and destiny – was at an all-time high, and the songs on this recording are a testament to his mastery of the genre.
The accompanying (vast) booklet gives full details of Schubert's activities at the time, as well as Graham Johnson's characteristically insightful commentaries on each song.