The opening concert of the BPO's Mozart 2006 season, the first of six events marking the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth, was triumphant.
This concert celebrated Mozart and the theatre, and nowhere is his music more human than in the opera house.
The chamber-size orchestra left comfortable room for conductor Barry Wordsworth, soloists Clare Rutter and Stephen Gadd as well as narrator, Simon Fanshawe.
Ms Rutter gave us a haunting countess from the Marriage of Figaro, a beautiful Donna Anna from Don Giovanni, an excellent Fiordiligi from Cosi fan tutte and an appealing Papagena from the Flute.
Gadd gave us a terrific Count Almaviva, a swaggering Don Giovanni and a Papageno who was suitably shy, the whole afternoon becoming a feast of some of the best music ever written.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article