The studio space at Andrews Lane has seldom been so well used, in terms of the presentation of an intimate evening of verbal delight. Brian Mallon's compilation of Welsh lyrics is marked by an unadulterated enthusiasm for the spoken word. There is a structure of sorts three sections, each under a heading from Dylan Thomas and while there is a lightly marked trail from Beginnings towards the inevitable Dying of the Light (Do not go gentle...), the chief delights lie in the vivid committed recital of the verse by Mallon.

His voice is a light tenor and he is most at ease when he dips to the tone and rhythms of conversation, finding fresh nuances and emphases in lines that are often surprisingly familiar. He avoids the temptation to verbal excess but he might deign to just saw a little less the air with his hand.

Nevertheless, this evening is astonishing in its vivacity and its power to hold the ear of the listener. The language that works best is melodic and all iterative. The figure of Dylan Thomas towers over the piece. The warmth and nostalgia, the marriage of sound and meaning are given full vent.

Among other verses, it perhaps comes as, no surprise that Mallon's revisiting of The Leaden Echo unearths the dynamic elegance and pulsing surge of Hopkins work to stunning effect.

The spoken word is alive and well and in very good hands.