Opera has always taken second place to lieder for the Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair. He seems to find more of an outlet for dramatic expression on the concert platform than many do on stage, and his devoted admirers won't have been disappointed by the communicative energy he brought to bear on this programme of songs by Clara and Robert Schumann. They might, however, have had to admit that his voice itself was sounding a little worn, and that Holzmair might now be better heard in halls with warmer, more singer-friendly acoustics.

This recital found him venturing outside his regular partnership with pianist Imogen Cooper to work with Roger Vignoles, who came to the fore especially in the six Clara Schumann songs at the start. In songs such as Geheimes Flüstern, Clara, herself a pianist, seemed to make the long lines in the voice almost subsidiary to the shapely piano music, which Vignoles's supple playing did full justice.

Holzmair's personality wasn't to be subdued, however. His hands went up as soon as Vignoles touched the first note, and he gestured his way through each song, like a storyteller in full flow. Fortunately, this only reinforced the character of his singing, and through Robert Schumann's Op 24 Liederkreis he and Vignoles were able to create an atmosphere of intensity that rarely slackened.

The second half was devoted to Schumann's Op 35 Kerner songs. The joyful last phrase of Wanderlied proved that Holzmair could still surprise us with a substantial bellow; but it was Stille Tränen that formed the compelling climax of the group. One could only wish that more singers with more mellifluous voices than Holzmair had the same commitment to expressive performance.