The third production from Swansea City Opera sees the company tackling a work best known for just one duet - the haunting Au fond du temple saint - which has been performed by tenors and baritones the world over since the piece was first staged in 1863.

The curious thing about The Pearl Fishers is that while everyone claims to know it, I could find no-one at this performance who had ever seen it live on stage before. This might owe much to the fact that Swansea City Opera tends to attract a less seasoned crowd than the likes of WNO - but this is no bad thing, since SCO's self confessed remit is to bring the joys of opera to those who might otherwise feel wary about going along to see a theatrical genre which is, if we are to believe the old adage, "not over until the fat lady sings".

No fat ladies here, however: a capable and polished cast comprised of Fabienne Borget(Leila), Nicholas Ransley(Nadir), Adrian Powter (Zurga)and Paul Hudson(Nourabad)make the most of their respective roles and the quality of the voices is breathtaking.

Artistic director Brendan Wheatley, in conjunction with Bridgett Gill, has come up with a gem of a piece which makes a virtue of Gary McCann's deceptively simple two-dimensional set: Mark Satchell's inventive and moody lighting design lends real strength and substance to the backdrop and some of the effects are truly beautiful, as in a scenewhere Leila is lit wholly in golden tones whilst the remainder of the stage gives off a green glow.

Tess Gibbs' choreography lent a whole new dimension to the contribution of the twelve-strong chorus, who had to get to grips with a series of highly stylised and idealised dance sequences which - while deliberately avoiding the kind of authenticity seen at performances by the likes of India Dance Wales - helped to inject a degree of animation into scenes which might otherwise have lacked visual strength.

My only misgiving during this particular performance was that the music - performed live by the Swansea City Opera Orchestra under the musical direction of Philip Sunderland - threatened to eclipse the voices of the singers for a short while at the beginning.

This problem was swiftly addressed, however, and for the most part the balance between musicians and singers worked well.

There was undoubtedly a positive air surrounding this production which indicates that SCO has not only found its target audience but also seems to be attracting more and more operatic virgins as the weeks and months tick by.

One can only hope that the crowds continue to be attracted by the company's down-to-earth approach and accessible productions, and that more people than ever before might find themselves being turned on to the joys of a performance genre which is still perceived as the sole preserve of Hooray Henries and the blue-rinse brigade.

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