Having served what sounds like an intensive apprenticeship as a member of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre since 1995, the Abkhazia-born soprano Hibla Gerzmava so seamlessly fuses vocal elegance and dramatic conviction that lesser-known arias such as the one from Verdi’s Il corsaro leave you wondering why this music isn’t heard constantly.

Comparisons with the concert’s winning though somewhat outclassed guest baritone, Arsen Sogomonian, show what sets Gerzmava apart: her ability to find latent meaning in the most formulaic vocal runs but without distorting the basic shape. Phrases come out in long, varied complete sentences, even amid the vocally fractured comedy of the L’elisir d’amore duet. Give her a fail-safe scene such as Desdemona’s Willow Song from Otello and she knows exactly when to let the music support her. It’s mesmerising, right down to the final Amen, sung with a kind of finality that tells you the character is accepting her dire fate with supreme dignity – supported with great sensitivity by conductor Vladimir Spivakov (who doubles as violinist in their mesmerising encore, Strauss’s ‘Morgen’).

I’m not sure Norma is a promising role. ‘Casta diva’ starts in the lower, weaker area of her voice and it’s the one part of the recital where her rhetorical compass has less clarity of purpose. Also, her pitch is obscured by vibrato. But I would love her to prove me wrong.