Louise Alder won the audience’s prize at the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World, and this Richard Strauss collection shows why. Her lovely, pure soprano voice is used with great intelligence and an evident feeling for words. Partnered by Joseph Middleton, she sings a program that places well-known songs alongside some rarer material. Alder knows how, and when, to turn a song into a mini-drama and she’s a natural story-teller.