Revived for only four end-of-term performances, ahead of the Royal Opera's tour of Japan , Richard Eyre's increasingly creaky staging of La Traviata provided a vehicle for Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu's return to the role of Violetta which catapulted her to stardom in 1994. Indeed her impact in the role was so great that BBC2 cleared its schedule at short notice to broadcast a performance live from the Royal Opera House (would that happen today – I wonder?) Since then, Gheorghiu has gone on to conquer all the major opera houses of the world and in the process has become as renowned for her off-stage tantrums as her on-stage performances.

Here though she gave a mesmerising performance, and as I'd not heard her live since she sang Liù here in Turandot in the late 90s had almost forgotten how beautiful her voice is – her high notes were fearless and full-blooded, yet she was able to produce plenty of ravishing mezza-voce singing where required. Her coloratura in 'Sempre Libre' was astonishing - not only for its pin-point accuracy, but for its phrasing and colour as well. She was vulnerable and moving when humiliated by Alfredo in Act II, and her death scene was genuinely touching. All in all, this was a pretty sensational assumption of the title role.