IT is a Puccini story steeped in love, betrayal, murder, corruption and lust and the Welsh National Opera’s performance of Tosca at The Mayflower takes you on an emotional journey through them all.

The curtain rose to a beautiful and warmly lit set that that transports the audience straight into Sant’Andrea della Vale Roman church.

Act One begins with strong and tense music playing as escaped political prisoner Cesare Angelotti tries to evade capture by the police, and from that moment the audience is hooked.

Claire Rutter, from Winchester, was the pious and yet fuelled with jealousy Floria Tosca and she sang her role with conviction and beauty,and was astoundingly passionate and stirring.

Hector Sandoval commanded the stage as the painter Mario Cavaradossi, who sets out to help Angelotti. He sang with an emotional ease and the range of his voice is simply stunning.

Mark Doss was the evil Baron Scarpia, and it’s a role he plays with complete conviction. This was a scheming, manipulative and menacing chief of police who delighted in fuelling Tosca’s jealousy for his own means. He sang his arias with a depth of range that is powerful and mesmerising.

In the second act, Scarpia has Cavaradossi tortured to get Tosca to reveal Angelotti’s hiding place, this leads to one of the greatest soprano arias in opera when Tosca sings Vissi d’Arte , as she realises that she has no choice but to surrender her principals as Scarpia makes her a chilling offer she cannot refuse.

The whole cast is a strong one and truly brings the opera to life, with a little help from conductor, Timothy Burke.

Act Three builds a crescendo and some truly stirring moments from the tortured singers, punctuated with twists and turns, before its explosive and gripping finish.

It really is easy to see why it has become one of the best-loved operas.