One of the few international guests at this year’s Festival, the vibrant young American counter-tenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen has won universal praise for his role as Oberon, the king of the fairies in Neil Armfield’s highly imaginative production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And so his eclectic recital with the Adelaide-based virtuoso, Konstantin Shamray was a keenly anticpated event. The material ranged from Handel to Brahms and Duparc and concluded with a trio of American standards by Rodgers and Hart, Erroll Garner and Cole Porter and, given the singer’s attractive stage personality and his truly prodigious abilities, led to a standing ovation.

The recital commenced with a brace of three Shakespeare settings by the English master, Roger Quilter, and it was immediately apparent that here was a great talent, a singer who must be immediately placed among the finest of counter-tenors. There was great beauty to be heard in his tone, which is creamy and reminiscent of the great contraltos and mezzos like Kathleen Ferrier and Janet Baker. The range of vocal colour was extraordinary and he displayed complete technical command, not only in the projection of his voice,...