Vasily Petrenko brought out excellent performances from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. The highlight of the choral involvement was a magnificent “Te Deum” to close Act I. The choir made a shattering sound here, and Terfel did an admirable job of interjecting with his secondary line where possible. The orchestra were outstanding all evening, from opening aggressive brass playing to sumptuous accompaniment elsewhere. The string playing at Tosca’s entrance was beautifully soft, spun into elegant legato beneath woodwind triplets. Jonathan Aasgaard’s cello solo in Act 3, whilst the apparently doomed Cavarodossi wrote his letter to Tosca, was superbly poignant.