Goethe was so moved by Des Knaben Wunderhorn (‘The Youth’s Magic Horn’), a collection of folk poetry published in Germany between 1805 and 1808, that he famously declared that every household should own a copy. He also expressed the hope that composers would feel compelled to set some of these texts to music, and many subsequently rose to the challenge. The Oxford Lieder Festival’s opening concer last Friday showcased some of these settings, which bring the old folk tales of soldiers, lovers and nature vividly to life.

Baritone William Berger, mezzo Rowan Hellier and accompanist Sholto Kynoch took the audience on a musical journey that thrilled, entertained and inspired. Settings by Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and the little-known Christian Sinding formed the first half, and what impressed here was the sheer variety in mood, subject matter and musical treatment, from Mendelssohn’s melancholy contemplation of death (Erntelied) and unrequited love (Minnelied) to tender lullabies (Brahms and Sinding), love duets (Brahms’s Ich weiß mir’n Maidlein) and military songs.

One of the most memorable moments of the first half was Berger’s joyous rendition of Sinding’s Fuge, which tells of a musician extolling the virtues of fine wine. Hellier’s sublime performance of Brahms’s famous lullaby was another highlight.

The military theme was in greater evidence in Mahler’s Humouresques, a set of 12 songs that formed the whole of the second half. Many of these songs take the form of dialogues – between a lonely sentry and an imagined temptress (Der Schildwache Nachtlied), between an imprisoned soldier and his sweetheart (Lied des Verfolgten im Turm), and between a soldier and his former lover (Trost im Ungluck). Here Berger and Hellier demonstrated both vocal and dramatic prowess to give compelling accounts of these songs, the first two heart-rending, the last with a touch of humour, and with Mahler’s musical nuances fully realised throughout.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable start to the festival, which continues until the end of the month. Visit www.oxfordlieder.co.uk for details.