The Fiery Angel
She was asked to learn the role of Renata in Prokofiev's "The Fiery Angel" for Sir Edward Downes who was auditioning singers for a joint production of the opera for Covent Garden and the Mariinsky. She won the role which became her breakthrough role, and with which she made her Western debut at the 1991 Proms in London. She also sang the role the following year at the Royal Opera House and this was a triumph for her. International success in the same role followed in Milan, New York, San Francisco. It was only after her international acclaim that she was offered a permanent position at the Mariinsky theatre.