From Hyperion Records: Schubert: The Complete Songs on CD

Ok, this small record label out of England has to be one one of my favorites. First, Hyperion Records released the complete solo piano music of Franz Liszt as excellently played by pianist Leslie Howard (Which I am almost done buying!). Now they have finished with yet another mammoth recording endeavor: Schubert's complete songs. The recordings encompass 40 CDs and took 18 years to complete. The project involved 60 soloists including some of the most revered lieder singers out there. Graham Johnson is the pianist for the entire span. The discs were originally released seperately as they were finished, but they can now be bought as a big set with the option of also purchasing a book with complete texts, history and analyses. What is most extraordinary is the circumstances under which Hyperion has managed to release this project. Hyperion was recently involved in a bitter legal battle over a copyright dispute of a recording of little-known composer Michael-Richard de Lalande. Their legal costs were enormous and they are even appealing for donations to help them continue to bring unrecorded music to the forefront. For the sake of Classical Music fans everywhere, let's hope that they survive and continue to bring us such excellent recordings!