I seem to have seen Capriccio more than any other opera, so it’s just as well that I love it. Elizabeth Soderstrom was my first Countess at Glyndebourne, at which time I knew little of the history of the opera. Other Countesses stand out – Kiri te Kanawa at Covent Garden; Felicity Lott, again at Glyndebourne; Anna Tomowa-Sintow – sensational at Salzburg; and now Renee Fleming.  This is really an opera for older people, filled as it is with longing and lament, probably for a world that Strauss, by then in his 8os and in the midst of his second World War, expected to disappear for ever. The story is a trifle – a vain but charming aristocratic widow cannot decide between two suitors, a poet and a composer, so they vie to show which is the better, words or music. Neither is, of course, and she really only loves them when they are working together, which she persuades them to do. It is light and charming, with much affectionate sending-up of the theatrical profession, but the music, oh the music – it soars and swoons reflecting emotions far deeper than those depicted on stage. Renee Fleming seems to have been born to play this role and her voice and looks suits it perfectly – it’s a real shame that she’s not a better actress – her Countess seems to have too much vanity un-leavened, as it is, by not quite enough reflection and angst. She is supported by a universally wonderful cast in which Peter Rose manages to stand out as the impresario, La Roche. And they were given, by Mauro Pagano and Robert Perdziola, a set to die for – an 18th century French Salon with some 1920s additions  – sofa, armchairs, low table and a wealth of deep-fringed lampshades – I just wanted to move right in and not change a thing. Andrew Davies conducted an, again, faultless rendition of the music. I never wanted it to end…..