Lesley Garrett triumphs at Battle Proms

Last Night at the Battle Proms 2007 will be long remembered for the way Lesley Garrett brought her own infectious blend of professionalism and pezzaz to delight a wildly enthusiastic assembly of promenaders.

Senlac's battlefield seemed to be hosting even more music-lovers than ever as the Doncaster diva took control of a Sunday night programme packed with musical delight.

The second of the Battle Proms nights was again blessed with beautiful weather. Those who had held off booking their tickets until the last minute because of the wet summer found their caution to be entirely unnecessary.

Party-goers who had lugged all bar the family silver to Battle Abbey grounds were rewarded with a near-perfect summer's evening for the traditional pre-concert picnic.

Champagne corks were already flying into the air as the sun began to set over the scene and many had graced the occasion with the full works - table-cloths and even the odd candelabra adding elegance to an occasion which - in wonderful contradiction - is at once innately British yet unusually extrovert.

The feminine touch extended from ground to air; beginning as the City of London Sinfonia launched into the Spitfire Prelude with Carolyn Grace winging over the delighted assembly with the two-seat Mk IX she has flown as a tribute to her late husband Nick since his tragic death in 1988.

The setting sun glinted off the wings of this most elegant of aircraft as Carolyn put the Spitfire through its paces. In return, the massive crowd gave its sea of Union Flags their first energetic airing of the evening.

As the orchestra faded, ML407's Merlin added its own music until, with a final victory roll, the Spitfire was gone.

Lesley Garrett is doing only two picnic concerts this summer. It was as well that she chose Battle Proms as one. Onto to the capable shoulders of Sunday's only solo singer fell the mantle of giving Last Night that all-essential Proms component - a personality.

Proms are like no other concerts. The music is just one element of the whole. Conductor Andrew Greenwood made no attempt at communication with promenaders, leaving it all to Lesley.

And the lady revelled in it.

A light and wholly delightful programme included an Elvis tribute from Lesley with numbers like The Wonder Of You before the richness of that glorious voice was devoted to Puccini and Dvorak.

Adoring fans - Battle Proms' equivalent of the Globe Theatre's "groundlings" in Shakespeare's time - clamoured in the ground's muddiest area at the foot of the stage to get close to her as she switched to the Bizet-inspired work of Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones.

In yet another winning feminine touch, it was Elizabeth Sheppard on piano who accompanied Lesley's pleasing If I Loved You from Carousel.

Lesley reminded us of her recent West End role as the Abbess in The Sound of Music with Climb Every Mountain.

Music from the wide screen was the opening theme of the second half.

Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's, the ET theme, Lesley singing Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific.

By now a full moon hung over the natural amphitheatre as Last Night began to build to its patriotic climax.

The orchestra did full justice to the beautiful and always-moving Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations before the flag-waving grew to a frenzy with Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope And Glory.

With perfect timing, the traditional firework display boomed across the countryside below as another entirely enjoyable and truly memorable Last Night at the Battle Proms closed in a final colossal aerial bomb-burst of colour.