Last updated 05:36, Friday, 25 July 2008

Nicky Spence and Julia CobbyTenor Nicky Spence showed that his musical celebrity has been well-earned in a delightful recital in Carlisle Cathedral for the city’s International Summer Festival. His gift for communication together with a truly outstanding voice made this a real occasion.

At the concert grand piano Julia Cobby accompanied with a velvety touch that was also equal to the quicksilver demands of a programme that ranged from Handel to Bernstein and Robbie Burns: Beautiful playing.

Deeply moving was Handel’s aria Total eclipse concerning Samson’s blindness, and perhaps reflecting the composer’s own worries about his failing sight.

By way of contrast, Alex McQuiston, an excellent young cellist with his gifted accompanist, contributed pieces by Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saëns to fine effect.

Sartorial as well as musical variety marked a real night out for all. If some tempi were a bit brisk, both Nicky and Julia excelled in the Britten folk songs, not to mention the ravishing numbers from Broadway.

ANDREW SEIVEWRIGHT