TUESDAY night at the National Concert Hall was an occasion to remember, partly because of its unusual mix of felicities and infelicities. Moldovan National Opera, plus stars from Romanian National Opera, presented an evening of operatic excerpts embracing Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Bizet, Puccini and Verdi.

I was glad - and relieved - that the presentation was strictly in concert style, with none of the pseudo-acting so common in these events. However, given this format, it was a mistake to include, one after the other, three very long Verdi duets, from Il Trovatore, Aida and La Forza del Destino. The music is wonderful, but the absence of its dramatic context made it over-long. Another absence was the chorus, which was billed and, for some items, was all too obviously needed. No one explained why it was not there.

The orchestra was around 40 strong. For this repertoire that is on the small side, but the playing was so well balanced that one quickly forgot. Conductor Alexandru Samoila was stylish and seemed always at home. The impeccable ensemble and distinctive, very Slavonic orchestral timbre, were rewarding.

No less Slavonic were the voices, more hard-edged than Italian ones. Hearing Verdi and Puccini sung in this way was different and sometimes a little quirky. There was some good singing, even though several performers strove too hard for volume and forceful expression, and some had rough spots in technique.

In a league of her own was soprano Mariana Colpos. Her singing of excerpts from Puccini's Madama Butterfly was the highlight of the evening. Certainly, she will be the singer to watch out for during the company's tour of Ireland over the next few days.

. Moldovan National Opera will present Puccini's Madama Butterfly in Cork on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; in Clonmel on Sunday (23rd) and Limerick on Monday (24th).