Pappano is particularly alert to Puccini borrowing traditional Japanese melodies; at times he makes you hear this score, as well as the drama on stage, as a tug of war between East and West…It’s Sharpless and Suzuki who steal the show – a consul with a tender conscience from Scott Hendricks and Elizabeth DeShong as a maid who could melt the stoniest of hearts.

Cast, set and musical performance, together with superb acted and sung realisations, make this one of the finest realisations of this work on film.

The production itself is broadly traditional…The show centres on a remarkable performance by Ermonela Jaho, whose strongly flavoured soprano is the foundation of a searching examination of the title role that is artful yet impassioned, and equally encompasses delicacy within its considerable variety of tone…Puente’s Pinkerton possesses an authentic Latin quality…DeShong’s Suzuki is fully engaged and businesslike, her tone arm, expressive and substantial.

[Jaho] lives and dies her role without distorting her vocal prowess and gives an incredibly detailed physical and vocal performance.