The programme notes for Saturday's Bord Gais-sponsored event neglected to mention that Sergei Leiferkus made his western European debut at the Wexford Festival in 1982. The Russian baritone, one of the finest singing-actors on today's opera scene, was in splendid form.

Although his programme was drawn from popular Italian and French operas, his voice is neither Latin nor Gallic in timbre. Rather, it is sharpness of focus, unwavering line and Slavic incisiveness that grip the listener. And he has the gift of taking you into the soul of the character, whether it be Verdi's tormented Renato or Macbeth, Mozart's sexually suave but dangerous Giovanni, or Bizet's preening toreador.

On another evening, Mariana Colpos would have been the star of the show. The Romanian soprano, who has sung here in touring opera productions, has a warm tone and a vibrant delivery that served her well in a versatile repertoire that embraced music by Mozart, Gounod and Puccini as well as generous helpings of Bellini's Norma and Verdi's Traviata. Her only flaws were a couple of barely-touched, rather than prolonged, climactic high notes.

Veteran Welsh tenor Arthur Davies, standing in for the indisposed Gabriel Sade, is not as open-throated as of yore. He fared well in mid-range, where his fine legato heightened the lyric romanticism of Puccini's Cavaradossi and Rodolfo; but he tightened above the stave, and his loud high notes were effortful and out of scale.

Accompanist Phillip Thomas was strongly supportive of the singers and gave a fiery rendering of Verdi's Forza del destino overture reduced for solo piano. David Milnes's Guinness Choir was best in the chorale-like Pilgrims' Chorus from Tannhauser and Handel's Hallelujah chorus. Elsewhere, there was a lack of the tonal depth you expect from an opera chorus.