Asked recently whether I thought Opera on the Harbour was really opera, I replied emphatically that it is. No one would question whether the Verona Arena Opera Festival is really opera, or the Bregenz Festival with its floating stage or Rome Opera’s summer season at the Baths of Caracalla. They are all ‘really opera’ and Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour ranks with them. This scale of presentation or the circumstances may not be to everyone’s taste but that is no more profound than saying that some people prefer Mozart operas at Glyndebourne rather than Covent Garden.

Opera on the Harbour has established itself as a major element in Australia’s entertainment calendar. Last year’s presentation Aida played to record audiences; Opera Australia will be hoping that this year’s Turandot will do similar business. That may happen although Aida is a byword for operatic spectacle even though most of its scenes are quite intimate, they are trumped by the second act Triumphal March with its armies, captives and animals. On the other hand, Turandot is really well suited to this scale of presentation with significant use of the chorus throughout, its big numbers for soprano and tenor, and big emotions.

Mounting and presenting Opera on the Harbour is a major logistical achievement. The opera is presented nightly including Sundays but excluding Mondays from March 24 to April 24. The biggest show is back in town.