In Benjamin Britten vocalism, Robert Tear came second only to the legendary Peter Pears, so this concert promised to be one of the most magnificent evenings of this year.
The promise transcended itself: when Tear sang Britten's Nocturne, it was as burning as it was personal. And any doubts which had been expressed about Tear's voice in his mid-50s were dispelled by the first notes, continuing until that most agonising crescendo to the Shakespeare sonnet.
What makes Tear different? First, the Welsh artist has a voice of genuine richness, from an unforced falsetto (Britten composed them at the most awkward moments, and only a master could make them sound natural) down deep to his baritone level.
But equally, Tear has a dramatic integrity. This meant a virtual recitative in the Coleridge poem, a wild line in the middle of Wordsworth's Prelude and the most sensuous reading of Keats' Sleep And Poetry.
It goes without saying that David Atherton, working with his old colleague, made certain his orchestra played as a most sensitive partner. Not just the solo obligatos but the most delicate scoring made the Nocturne a frankly glorious experience.
Tear also sang the early Mahler Songs Of A Wayfarer. It is a splendid quartet, and Tear almost made Mahler's poetry overcome its unmitigated Teutonic passion. The clarity of language, the sudden change of mood in the second song, and the irony of the finale did the tenor and the orchestra proud.