Christopher Maltman may be a formidable force on the operatic stage, with acclaimed performances as Don Giovanni, Figaro and Billy Budd under his belt, but he is also a former winner of the Lieder Prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and on Saturday night, in the intimate setting of Wotton House, he demonstrated exactly why he was given this accolade. This was a captivating recital, with Maltman’s dramatic and vocal skills very much in evidence.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: A Life in Song followed a chronological path through settings of Goethe’s poems by Schubert, Beethoven, Loewe, Schumann, Brahms and Wolf, with each of the six sections highlighting a significant stage of the poet’s life. So there were settings of poems written during various love affairs, poems influenced by his Frankfurt and Weimar years and poems written during his fruitful friendship with fellow poet Friedrich Schiller.

Maltman’s expressive baritone and intelligent phrasing meant that he communicated the different narratives and characters of the songs exceptionally well, always full of conviction and emotional depth, his diction never less than crystal clear and his voice resonant without being overpowering. I loved the humour of Der Zauberlehrling (The Wizard’s Apprentice), which Maltman performed with obvious relish, and was impressed with the contrasts in the scene from Faust, in which he performed not only the Evil Spirit and the Chorus, but Gretchen as well! And nobody, surely, could have failed to be moved by the tender lyricism of love songs such as Mailied (May Song) and Mit Einem Gemalten Band (With a Painted Ribbon), nor by the tragedy of Erlkönig (The Erl King), which suited the dark colouring of Maltman’s voice perfectly.

Graham Johnson’s piano accompaniment was strong and decisive but never obtrusive, and the obvious rapport between him and Maltman resulted in a powerful, focused and committed performance that ensured a total engagement with the audience. Wonderful.