CHRISTOPHER SMITH Handel, ornate and patterned, with very neat echo effects, took this recital away to a fine start, revealing that soprano Lucy Crowe was in good voice and had confidence enough to add a great deal of variety to her interpretations.

CHRISTOPHER SMITH

Handel, ornate and patterned, with very neat echo effects, took this recital away to a fine start, revealing that soprano Lucy Crowe was in good voice and had confidence enough to add a great deal of variety to her interpretations.

Her expressive style had elbow room to develop in a group of four of Schubert's songs where romantic fervour and an almost mystic response to nature went along with moments of sheer enjoyment at freedom from restraint.

Next came Poulenc, with two very lively lyrics from his 'Giggle Betrothal'.

Not hesitating to poach on male preserves, the singer next performed three Britten settings that gave her accompanist, the pianist Anna Tilbrook, particularly fine opportunities.

A bonus in these English folksongs was being able to catch all the words.

Debussy tested the singer's upper register. Then, The Girls From Cadiz by Delibes came across as an ironic version of Carmen in miniature, delightfully tongue in cheek in its exploitation of every cliché from Spain.

t Lucy Crowe and Anna Tilbrook performed at the Assembly House, Norwich, as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.