Legendary American soprano Barbara Bonney came, sung and conquered at the Theatre Royal on Friday.

This is a lady who has it all: blonde good looks, a great voice and a great stage presence.

Now she has my heart and, I suspect, the hearts of all those in the audience.

What thrills everyone who hears her is the purity of her voice. It is a purity that makes the hairs on one's neck stand up.

Whether she is singing a tender love ballad from Schumann's Dichterliebe or something harsher by Grieg or Aleven, that purity is always there.

She can deliver emotion like crazy but it is all with the voice which is also extremely rich in colour and timbre. With this soprano there is no slurring and no sliding.

Schumann's Dichterliebe comes from Heine's anthology of poetry, a source of song composition for many composers.

Bonney began her recital with In The Wondrous Month Of May, a taster of the delights to come.

Some 16 songs later, as the curtain fell on the first half, she had melted any stones that might have been in any listeners heart.

The second half of the program was a Scandinavian Dichterliebe with each song chosen by Miss Bonney.

More love songs. Love won, love lost, songs to a rose, to the March snow and to friendship.

I have never heard any of these songs before and have no knowledge of any of the Scandinavian languages. But that doesn't matter; Miss Bonney made their meaning crystal clear.

To me, she could have sung the Swedish telephone directory and I know it would have been beautifully done.

She could have sung for a fortnight and still the audience would have wanted more.

Barbara Bonney is a legend in her own lifetime and to see and hear a legend at work is a real privilege.

Theatre Royal, New Road, Brighton Friday