Artiste: Marlena Devoe

It's taken two years for Jack Furness' new production of Dvořák's greatest opera to reach the Garsington stage, but it is entirely worth the wait, with a breathtaking performance from Natalya Romaniw in the title role.

It was hard not to be drawn in by the romance and tragedy as presented by such a sincere, credible and vocally talented young cast and a conductor with such strong identification with the idiom.

The audience for Lucia di Lammermoor was treated to a young, very believable cast showcasing a star in the making in the form of New Zealand-born Samoan soprano Marlena Devoe.