Tucked away in the series of lunchtime concerts at the Pavilion Theatre have been some real gems.

One of the best so far this year has been the recital by tenor James Gilchrist and harpist Alison Nicholls.

This duo brought us works by Alec Roth and settings of various poems by Indian writer Vikram Seth, two Welsh songs by Benjamin Britten, two sonnets by Andre Caplet and an epic Northumberland tale written by Trevor Hold, who died in January.

Gilchrist, seen in Britten's War Requiem at last year's Festival has a ravishing voice with perfect diction. It is also a flexible voice handling Britten's two Welsh songs with ease and a fluidity with the language as shown in Caplet's two sonnets.

In the Trevor Hold epic, Glasgerion, he not only sang the role of the mesmeric harp player but also that of the princess with whom he fell in love, and the King, whose wrath led to his banishment.

He has a voice that charms, soothes and which can move an audience to tears. He acts with style and passion which at times can sear the soul.

Nicholls is at the forefront of the new generation of harpists and is not afraid to move away from the French music that so dominates the instrument's repertoire.

This was a recital to both charm and move and one that could have continued for a good while longer than its 70 minutes.