In the age of cinema, it has become increasingly easy to regard traditional opera as a redundant art-form.

Many directors have responded with ‘updates’, modern sets, props and costumes catapulting well-worn classics into the twenty-first century.

Ellen Kent’s touring productions turn their back on such temptations altogether, presenting works in the conventional settings envisaged by their creators.

Saturday evening saw the Chisinau National Opera roll into town to present her take on Georges Bizet’s monumental Carmen, a four-act drama concerning the exploits of the eponymous temptress and the lovestruck soldier she seduces.

The results were initially jarring: a notably flimsy backdrop made for a less-than-convincing Seville, and the jump from York to Andalusia was hindered further by suspect French diction from the chorus and occasionally ropey orchestral manoeuvres.

Poignantly, such setbacks did little to detract from what proved to be an engaging and communicative evening of drama.

An excellent cast of principals was led by Nadezhda Stoianova’s title-role – unpredictable, unfathomable, positively unhinged, her mercurial performance presented Carmen as a self-destructive force of nature.

This in turn highlighted aptly the havoc her character wreaks; heartfelt performances were drawn from both Sorin Lupu (Don José) and Maria Tonina (Micaela), while Iurie Gisca was in fine voice as a toreador overflowing with reckless bravado.

The ultimate victor, however, was the music itself: witty, versatile, never lacking in drama. Rather than stifle, the old-school production revealed genuine, well-placed faith in Bizet’s vision.

- Richard Powell