Each day this week Humphrey Burton presents highlights from the previous day's round in the BBC Singer of the World Song Prize. The first heat, held yesterday at the New Theatre in Cardiff, featured Burak Bilgili (bass - from Turkey) with Phillip Thomas (piano), Tania Kross (mezzo-from the Netherlands) with Hans Schellevis , D'Arcy Bleiker (bass-baritone - Switzerland) with PhillipThomas, and Nicholas Phan (tenor - USA) with Simon Lepper.
The first heat of the BBC Singer of the World opera competition is shown on BBC4 tonight at 7.15pm