It seems it is just you and I now, Miss Sutherland.

To which prowess do you refer, Miss Sutherland?

Miss Sutherland, 63 years old, has endured far longer than most sopranos.

A flush stole over Miss Sutherland's face, and she picked nervously at the fringe of her jacket.

Artists like Miss Sutherland who have earned respect and love over long careers become difficult to hear objectively.

The Met didn't want one, arguing (plausibly enough) that nobody would be able to sing it after Miss Sutherland retired.

When Miss Sutherland sings, we are always given a reason why a phrase begins and ends exactly where it does.

Although the voice now sounds wan and attenuated, what Miss Sutherland can still do with it at age 61 is the stuff of opera legend.

"Who was he, then, and what was his object in deserting Miss Sutherland?"

As he sang to her, Miss Sutherland openly wept.