American soprano Latonia Moore’s performance in the title role alone makes this home-grown DVD in a crowded market worth a look. Moore, who started singing at the age of eight in church, was fresh from her triumphant last-minute stand-in at the Met in New York when she repeated the feat at Mrs Macquarie’s Point in Sydney for last year’s Handa Opera extravaganza. Hers is a magnificent voice, full of power up top, even across her entire range but with layers of rich emotion and a subtle control of dynamics. Despite mics, the showcase arias Ritorna Vincitor and O Patria Mia show us that this is a singer with a great future.

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Italian tenor Walter Fraccaro’s Radamès on the other hand is one-dimensional in this flashy production by Gale Edwards. He belts his numbers out, which suits the bombastic moments but leaves one longing for more nuance.Milijana Nikolic gives a good account of Amneris, the conniving and ultimately thwarted third side of the love triangle.

Edwards’ production involves 300 performers and staff, including two surf lifesavers and a string of camels, plus a bigger stage than ever set against the Sydney skyline. Visually...