I believe he was the first major composer to seek out the lyrics of James Joyce, and he did so throughout his career, early and late. A partial list of his writers includes the aforementioned Joyce, Agee, Stephens, Hopkins, Yeats, Prokosch, Horan, Rilke, Roethke, Graves, Neruda, and Milosz. Nevertheless, even so one finds neglected gems, including major cycles, and I find myself wishing for even more enterprising singers. Cheryl Studer and Thomas Hampson have hot careers right now, and John Browning has long acquaintance with Barber's music. The Emerson put out a very fine performance of the Barber String Quartet.
Browning goes beyond the usual accompanist.
He of course has technique to burn, and while Barber's songs don't call for a virtuoso pianist, Browning nevertheless puts his skills to the subtle variance of color and touch. Hampson has struck me as inconsistent. On the one hand, he can sing superbly, so well it's just about unearthly - as in his Mahler recital on Teldec 74002. On the other, he can be incredibly annoying, mistaking vocal affectations for art. Here, he's simply the best.