Tissue sales must have soared during the performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly by a Russian opera company new to Britain.

This tear-jerker of a piece was by the State Opera of Rostov, making its UK debut in Brighton and milking the work for every tear.

And who was mainly responsible for our blubbing? It was Valentina Tsydypova, formerly of the legendary Kirov company.

She squeezed every drop of emotion from the title role, bringing lumps to the throats of all, tears to many and sobs from some.

She was the abandoned young woman, married to an American naval officer seemingly for life but in reality only for the duration of his stay in Japan.

The caddish and arrogant Pinkerton was always going to go home and find himself a "proper" American wife.

This Butterfly was lavish in the extreme.

Costumes were sumptuous and the set was simple but highly effective - this was Nagasaki built in Brighton.

The opera is often thought to be just a one-tune show. It is far more than that and conductor Aleksei Shakuro, replacing named maestro Andrei Galanov, who was stranded by the storms, brought out the composer's rich melodies and haunting choruses.

It was a stunning and exciting reading of the work based on a Kirov Opera production. Enchanting, elegant and highly moving, this was five-star treatment.

The Dome was sold out for its one-night performance but Sussex opera-goers can catch up with it at The Hawth, Crawley, on November 4 (call 01293 553636), at the Chichester Festival from November 5 to 9 (call 01243 781312) and at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, on November 21 (call 01323 412000).

It was a great opera wonderfully done and in the new, fine acoustics of the Dome, it will be hard to better it.