In today's world of big sound and invasive volume, music played on a harpsichord requires a significant shift of aural gears for, like a well-spoken lady, the instrument speaks with delicacy and finesse.

While the thin, plinky tone is not for everyone, those who gathered on Thursday evening for a one-off performance by Bermuda Festival artist John Butt were richly rewarded.

In an hour-long recital which sped by all too quickly, one could not help but marvel at the intricacy and sheer beauty of music written by composers who would never know the wonders and advantages of the technically advanced piano.

As befits an instrument whose genesis stretches back to mediaeval times, Mr.

Butt chose works taken from the 17th and 18th centuries, and written by Louis Couperin, Orlando Gibbons, Girolamo Frescobaldi, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the absence (yet again) of programme notes, the onus of providing background information on the composers and pieces fell to Mr. Butt -- a task he handled with wit and style.

French Baroque composer Louis Couperin's Prelude and Suite proved an engaging opener, the four components -- Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, and Chaconne -- demonstrating different styles, musical forms and moods.

This was followed by two Fantasias written by British composer Orlando Gibbons, who was more or less a contemporary of Couperin's. Gibbons was famed as a keyboardist, and also regarded as one of the last great figures of the English polyphonic school. The first piece reflected this influence, while the second was what Mr. Butt called a "finger'' piece, and intellectually more challenging. Both were thoughtfully performed.

Italian composer Frescobaldi's Toccata and Capriccio brought a different, brighter style. They made interesting listening, and were finely played.

The unmistakable style of Bach brought this recital to a delightful close on familiar ground. While no further proof was needed, each of the three preludes and fugues from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, re-confirmed Mr. Butt as a master of his art.

With Bach's Italian Concerto, the artist set a final, impressive seal on a memorable performance. This is a much-loved work in which, with just one instrument, Bach cleverly impersonates a whole orchestra and a single voice.

As such, it is broad and colourful in range and concept -- qualities which Mr.

Butt brought vividly to life, and thus provided compelling listening.

Every so often, the Festival line-up contains a gem which, though smaller, shines just as brightly as the bigger events. This was one of them.