Teresa Zylis-Gara is radiant as Lisa, bringing warmth and vocal bloom to Tchaikovsky's tragic heroine. Ljubomir Bodurov's burly tenor proves a strong fit for the demanding role of Hermann, and Ladislaus Konya makes a vivid impression as Tomsky, even managing to upstage Assen Selimski's more subdued Yeletsky. The Countess, a role often reserved for sopranos or mezzos in the final chapter of their careers, is strikingly reimagined by Marianne Radev, whose performance retains a trace of the vocal glamor that earned her character the nickname "Venus of Moscow." This unexpected shimmer lends a romantic tension to her ghostly reappearance and adds dimension to her fateful encounter with Hermann.