Well done performance, with premier singers such as Placido Domingo and James Morris. The backstage scenes and intermission interviews by Rene Fleming add significant value. Despite the overall excellence, I was somewhat put off by the strenuous facial grimaces of Adrienna Pieczonka, which added an unwanted element to the story. It's hard enough for singers to deliver their lyrics in various recumbent and reclining positions, as they are required to by the story line and staging, without adding drawnout mouths and crinkly brows to the mix.