Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy had an audience hanging on her every word as she recited some of her most famous work within the elegant surroundings of the Guildhall in Bath.

Music from composer John A Sampson was a perfect marriage for Duffy’s humorous, tantalising and at times challenging poetry, in a show given a dress rehearsal in Glasgow, priming it perfectly for Bath’s literature festival.

Starting off with poems from The World’s Wife, Duffy explained how she was inspired by childhood tales, wondering how the wives of both fictional and mythological figures coped with their husbands' exploits. As she recited Mrs Faust, Mrs Midas and From Mrs Tiresias, her subtle comedy and glorious imagery was laid bare for all to see. It was a true privilege to watch Duffy bring her work to life.

What followed was even more mesmerising, as her evocative work from Rapture, a series of poems charting a passionate love affair from beginning to end, simply enthralled. Short sonnets, which Duffy equates to the ‘little black dress’ of love poetry, revealed every smile, ache, and emotion that love brings with it. It’s like Duffy's able to read your inner most thoughts and feelings and put them into words.

Duffy never shies away from talking about the often personal inspiration behind some of her poems – particularly the death of her mother five years ago, which is the subject of the as yet unpublished, Premonition. Starting off with her mother’s death, which Duffy pretends is the first time they meet, the poem moves backwards through her life, describing how their relationship blossoms and strengthens as her mother reaches her prime. It’s touching beyond belief.