It's a shame that English National Opera (ENO) could not be persuaded to bring a complete opera to Brighton for its debut at the Festival.

But extracts from three of the world's most popular operas - Verdi's Rigoletto and La Traviata and Puccini's La Boheme - did not daunt the audience from giving the company an enthusiastic welcome.

And quite right, too. ENO brought down a clutch of its finest singers and its full orchestra, which was on top form, with conductor Mark Shanahan getting some superb sounds from it.

It was as though, released from its normal home in the pit into the fresh air and footlights of the auditorium, the orchestra had been granted unprecedented of freedom and was determined to make the most of it.

Shanahan shrugged off the chains of his normal almost underground environment to dance around on the stage, driving his players to better and better things.

The concert opened with the Gilda duets from Verdi's Rigoletto, a dark tale of a court jester and his daughter and the attentions of his employer, a randy Italian duke. Baritone Alan Opie sang Rigoletto, the duke was sung by tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones and Gilda by the soprano Linda Richardson.

The scenes were vocally ravishing, Opie singing perfectly the English translation, the tenor full of enthusiasm and Richardson hitting all the high notes, not least in the heart-meltingly fine Caro Nome.

Opie returned to sing a heart-breaking In Provence Your Native Land from La Traviata - the plea to his son to leave the courtesan Violetta and come home to his family.

From the same opera Richardson sang the emotional I Wonder... Give Me Freedom.

Did she really love Alfredo or was the love doomed? Well, I certainly fell in love with her, never mind what fate might await me.

The second half of the concert was made up of abridged Acts One and Four of Puccini's La Boheme - the glorious meeting between Mimi and Rodolfo and her tragic death.

Once again, Gwyn Hughes Jones and soprano Linda Richardson were on top form with the show-stoppers Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen and Yes, They Call Me Mimi truly hitting the spot.

Mimi's death scene, something I always find a little long-winded, did what it should always do - make the eyes prickle with tears and bring a lump to the throat.

Highlights from opera can always sound a little chocolate-boxy and it is difficult to get involved in the stories but this first ENO visit to Brighton was a triumph - and a superb sales platform for its home at the newly refurbished Coliseum in London.

My only quibble was the huge waste of the second soprano, Claire Weston. As the maid in the scenes from Rigoletto, she was allowed just one phrase: "I think someone's coming" and her role in La Boheme as Nusetta was shorn of the exquisite Nusetta's Waltz.

But never mind, ENO should come back again to thrill us with even more fine singing and music-making.

Supported by Brighton Festival Friends.