This is an album of, as the title suggests, many charms. Chief among them is Grace Davidson’s pure, light soprano. Her always appealing voice guides us through a well-chosen hour-long programme showcasing English song across two centuries, from Campion’s strophic songs of 1613 to Handel’s dramatic arias of the 18th century. And she is matched by Julian Perkins’s stylish harpsichord playing (and organ playing for Pelham Humfrey’s Wilt thou forgive that sin). 

The recital begins and opens with Purcell, drawing us in with a light-footed performance of If music be the food of love and bidding farewell with a beautiful An Evening Hymn. Her Sweeter than Roses is an agile delight and that same vocal dexterity comes to the fore as Shakespeare’s Ariel in Arne’s Where the Bee Sucks. 

Sleep emerges as a micro-theme, apt given that Davidson has sung hundreds of listeners to sleep over the years as the ethereal soprano in Max Richter’s all-night epic Sleep. Who wouldn’t want to be...