ENTHUSIASM for opera was very evident at Mitchell Robertson's presentation to the Recorded Music Society's most recent meeting.

Mitchell took as his theme the letter as motif in opera, and played extracts from operas where the letter was crucial to the plot.

The evening started with extracts from Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin based on a novel by Pushkin.

The letter is key to the plot, as Tatyana pours out her love for Onegin in a letter to him.

Tchaikovsky was much influenced by Bizet's Carmen, which he heard when in France - and met Bizet, Mitchell said.

His second example was the earlier opera by Donizetti, Roberto Devereux, which concerned the life and love of Elizabeth I which, while not historically accurate, contains a lot of attractive music. A letter and a ring feature in the plot.

A letter also features in the opera Andrea Chenier - one of only two works still performed by Giordano - which is set during the French Revolution.

Mitchell finished his presentation with film of Maria Callas performing with Tito Gobbi in Act 2 of Puccini's opera Tosca, a rare example of Callas filmed on stage.

Full details of the society’s programme and meetings are available from the Collector's Room in Endless Street and the Tourism Office.