My description of [Daniel Behle’s] singing four years ago is still valid but since then he has gained power and expression and his handling of the texts is excellent. All these virtues are present in Ich liebe dich (tr. 3) and Freundliche Vision (tr. 4) displays to perfection his seamless legato and the extreme beauty of his voice.

These first four songs from various opus groups is a kind of a first course to whet the appetite for the three main courses that follow, three complete groups. The four Op. 27 examples are all well known and often performed, but not always as a group. They certainly complement each other wonderfully and in Behle’s readings these gems glitter even more enticingly than usual. The concluding Morgen, inward and soft, is really marvellous.

The eight Op. 10 songs are especially valuable to have as a complete sequence since a couple of them are not that frequently heard. Zueignung is so powerfully and gloriously sung that one believes that in a couple of years he will take on spinto repertoire. I listened with great pleasure to Nichts, sung with such excellent diction that you didn’t need the printed text. I admired his superb control of all the nuances. His breath control in Die Nacht. Allerseelen, a long-time favourite of mine, is sung with great simplicity, almost casually—but immensely moving.

The Op. 19 songs are even more rarely heard—and well worth hearing. Then, when we are served the dessert, Befreit is the perfect choice, not too sweet but with a taste that remains long after the last chord has died away.

The whole recital is so beautifully sung that it is quite possible to enjoy it just for the youthful, healthy vocalism without bothering about the interpretation of individual songs. This is where real greatness is to be found. Each of the songs stands out as a masterpiece. I felt more than once that I was hearing a well known song for the first time. So fresh, so immediate is the approach.

Daniel Behle is a marvellously gifted Lieder singer and the rapport between him and his admirable pianist is breathtaking.

Those who have bought one or more of his earlier recitals will need no persuasion to add this one. Those who haven’t should rectify that obvious lack in their collection without delay. This is my Recording of the Month. Without doubt it will be one of my Recordings of the Year when we reach December. © 2012 MusicWeb International Read complete review

One finds it refreshing…to have the repertoire somewhat expanded by the wonderful Daniel Behle and his equally wonderful pianist Oliver Schnyder…Behle’s intelligence and depth are more than compensation. The personality of his singing is quite unique. One senses modesty behind his virtuosity, a self-forgetfulness, and respectful reverence toward the various objects of his passion. His voice rings brilliantly in dramatic passages, but the pianissimos are brilliant as well, produced with the whole voice…There is a remarkable logic in Behle’s phrases, and a feeling of inevitability in their sequence. This is especially evident and satisfying in Freundliche Vision where he seamlessly outlines an expansive arc from the first word of the text to the last.

Daniel Behle…seems to have found a way back to the heart of the German Lied, which is, after all the human heart. © 2012 Fanfare Read complete review

Four Songs, Op. 27, Eight Rosenegg Songs, Op. 10, Six Songs, Op. 19, and five others make up this program. Most are among Strauss’s best known, and many of them are sublimely lovely. After a spirited start with ‘Standchen’, Op. 17:2, ‘Herr Lenz’, Op. 37:5, and ‘Ich Liebe Dich’, Op. 37:5, Behle turns to the gentle ‘Freundliche Vision’, Op. 48:1, which he sings with supreme tenderness; in general he is at his best in this and other more serene, wistful, and introspective songs like ‘Ruhe, Meine Seele’, ‘Morgen’, ‘Die Nacht’, and ‘Allerseelen’. © 2012 American Record Guide Read complete review on American Record Guide