There are two halves to this recital, one English, the other Italian. The spots for solo lute break it up nicely and are judiciously varied, now simple, straightforward and dance-like, now chordal, in the manner of a toccata, now fugal and meatier in content. The same variety applies in the English set. Robert Johnson’s pleasant songs probably don’t bear the sustained listening that Dowland’s do but they are very effectively contrasted none the less; as for “Can she excuse” and “In darkness”, they are worlds apart and seem to have only their author’s name in common. The Italian set is rather more substantial and culminates with one of the most extraordinary pieces of its time, Tarquinio Merula’s Canzona spirituale sopra alla Nonna, whose two-note ostinato portrays the Virgin mother rocking her baby. Her gentle musings soon give way to a bitter foretelling of her son’s fate, the voice growing impassioned as the lute’s ground bass continues inexorably. It’s a real showstopper, and after that, barring the obligatory encore, there’s nothing more to say.

Soprano Carolyn Sampson and lutenist Matthew Wadsworth are well matched protagonists and in the main they cope equally well with both repertories. Sampson’s diction is especially clear in the English selections, which come across very naturally. I could have envisioned more drama in the Merula, especially as the long ostinato reaches its denouement, and throughout, a greater crispness in the ornamentation and consistency in the application of vibrato. But with Sampson’s increased exposure in recent years, it’s good to hear her on her own.