On Saturday night, Carnegie Hall hosted an evening of Schubert — a song recital. There was not merely one recitalist, but three: Dorothea Röschmann, the German soprano; Ian Bostridge, the English tenor, and Thomas Quasthoff, the German bass-baritone. Accompanying them was Julius Drake, an English pianist who enjoys a very, very busy career. Every other night, he seems to be accompanying a top singer.

Four years ago, Carnegie Hall was the scene of an even more crowded Schubert evening. There were four singers, from soprano to bass: Renée Fleming, Anne Sofie von Otter, Matthew Polenzani, and René Pape. Their pianist was pretty high-class —Maestro James Levine.

As for the Röschmann-Bostridge-Quasthoff show, it was first staged in London, on January 14. Can that show continue on the road? You’ve heard of the Three Tenors, one of the greatest commercial successes in classical-music history. The Three Lieder Singers do not seem to have the same prospects. But they provided a highly satisfying recital for those in Carnegie Hall on Saturday night.

Here’s how the evening worked: Mr. Bostridge sang a group of songs, and then a duet with Ms. Röschmann. Then Ms. Röschmann sang her own group. Afterward, it was Mr. Quasthoff’s turn. And the first half ended with a cantata, for all three to sing. Following intermission, there was some more trading off, and coming together. By the way, all three singers were onstage the entire time.

We heard Schubert both familiar and less familiar. Among the more familiar songs: “Ganymed,” “Erlkönig,” and “Gretchen am Spinnrade.” Among the less familiar: Three Harper’s Songs, drawn from Goethe’s “Wilhelm Meister” novel. Indeed, Goethe was the dominant writer — of words — on this evening. The first half focused on “Wilhelm Meister,” the second half on “Faust.”

Mr. Bostridge sang in his usual fashion — thoughtful, attentive, poised. He is occasionally guilty of some preciousness, and there was a speck of that on Saturday night, but hardly any to speak of. And in at least one of those Harper’s Songs — “An die Türen will ich schleichen” — he was a model of phrasing.

It was a particular pleasure to hear him in duet with Ms. Röschmann. Not often do you hear two voices entwine on a recital stage; usually that experience comes only in the opera house. And the mixture of Mr. Bostridge’s voice and Ms. Röschmann’s — in two excellent Schubert pieces, one sorrow-laden, the other heavenly — was superb.

We should linger for a moment over Ms. Röschmann’s voice. It is a lyric soprano, but it is also substantial, solid, regal — a very rare instrument indeed. And how lucky we are that such a smart musician is attached to it! Ms. Röschmann is known as a Mozart singer, and she is one of the best. But she proved an equally good Schubert singer. Her feel for the songs was natural, almost inarguable. Her German was exquisite; and her intonation was perfect (really).

“Kennst du das Land” had unusual life and character — it was no mere study in philosophy. And, in countless hearings of “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” you have never heard better than from Ms. Röschmann. It was smoother-than-smooth, and bewitching.

As for Mr. Quasthoff, he was in good form, both vocally and mentally. “Normans Gesang” was rough-and-ready (in a positive sense). “Grenzen der Menschheit” had near-biblical authority, put there by both Mr. Quasthoff and Schubert. And “Erlkönig” was magnificently, chillingly rendered. As you recall, there are several voices, or “characters,” in this song: the narrator, the father, the boy, and the Erl King. Each one was just right from Mr. Quasthoff. And the Erl King was grinningly, hatefully, slyly evil.

In fact, Mr. Quasthoff had sort of an evil night: In Schubert’s Scene from “Faust,” he was the devil himself, I swear — all wicked suggestion.

At the end of the evening, our three singers really let their hair down, with a delightful Schubert rarity: “Der Hochzeitsbraten.” In this piece — a comic scene — a couple about to be married goes out to poach a rabbit for the wedding feast. But they encounter a very cross property owner. Ms. Röschmann, Mr. Bostridge, and Mr. Quasthoff demonstrated some first-rate vocal acting.

And here are some particulars from Mr. Quasthoff: He showed off a beautiful, and surprising, head voice. He also contributed a bass-baritonal trill (something you don’t hear every day). And he executed an “Ol’ Man River” slide to a low D.

Do not forget Julius Drake, the accompanist. He had a very good outing, playing sensibly and seamlessly. He was unobtrusive, yet he was not a potted plant. And we should remember that he had more notes — many more notes — than anyone else on the evening. In “Erlkönig,” he was a little tight, but then, most pianists are. And in “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” he was as smooth as Ms. Röschmann — spinning silkily.

A question, for Carnegie Hall and the performers: Could they not have used supertitles? They have long been available in this hall. I think it would have made for a better evening — keeping eyes and noses out of the little booklets.

One of the most famous of three-singer evenings took place on February 20, 1967. On that evening, Gerald Moore, the renowned English accompanist, bade farewell. His soloists were Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Angeles, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Saturday night, too, was an evening of highly distinguished singing. It’s nice to be reminded — as we regularly are, really — that not all the excellence is in the past.