Just as ENO's Figaro was lifted by last weekend's change of cast, so the Royal Opera's Carmen has taken a tumble with its new line-up.

True, Anna Caterina Antonacci's gypsy and, especially, Jonas Kaufmann's imaginative Don José were hard acts to follow.

So far the new pair, Hungarian mezzo Viktoria Vizin and Italian tenor Marco Berti, remain earthbound.

To complain that Berti sounds too Italianate may seem unduly harsh but in French repertoire at least a nod towards Gallicism never comes amiss.

Tense and reedy sounding throughout, he suddenly found form towards the end and produced the powerful top notes of which he is clearly capable.

Vizin's Carmen looks the part, more feline than Antonacci, with nicely curled lip and much display of thighs.

The voice has warmth and weight in the lower register, but doesn't yet excite, which is all we really ask of this awkward castanet-clicking hussy.

Conductor Philippe Auguin set off at a cracking pace but soon found himself a furlong or two ahead of chorus and orchestra.

Francesca Zambello's grand staging, complete with various animals and despite first night clunks, proved robust and appealing.

Two other newcomers were a bonus: Chinese soprano Liping Zhang, as Micaela, and Laurent Naouri as an equestrian Escamillo.