This release, entitled 'My soul has nought but fire and ice' compiles three song cycles of the 20th and 21st centuries for solo baritone voice and viola, alongside three solo works for viola. As the listener may imagine, the charm of this music lies in its total reduction to the essential needs of music making: a single voice, a single instrument to support it. Baritone Hartmut Schulz has long been a passionate singer of concert music, but especially of art song. One of his career achievements is being a part of the “Cologne Schubert cycle” – a project in which all Schubert songs were performed within three years. He is frequently praised by critics for his vocal intelligence and presence on stage. He was educated at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Köln, where he studied with Professor Willy Gesell and Professor Margit Kobeck. Schulz has also contributed a work to this album: his three-movement piece Salutatio Virtutum.