Ms Karabulut sought to bring unity to the diverse materials of Il Trittico by returning to Puccini’s original inspiration in Dante, but also by interpreting the title of the cycle – the Triptych – in its most painterly sense.

Perianes finalizó la primera parte con una personalísima y temperamental 'Fantasía Bética', donde lució su particular complicidad con el sustrato popular de la obra, un atinado refinamiento y una musicalidad desbordante.

If the Symphony No.7 finale was unreservedly triumphant in tone, it was the emotional ambiguities of the earlier movements – and of Mr Widmann’s songs – that made the evening so captivating

Director Netia Jones, who was also responsible for the set, costume and video-projection designs, had no difficulty sketching the principal characters with a few well-chosen physical movements but the great strength of her direction lay in her ability to create scenes in which almost all emotional excess had been stripped away.