Edinburgh has seen the birth of many stars. This year's International festival opened with a concert performance of Strauss's Elektra which, though uneven, will linger in the memory as marking the debut of the American soprano Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet in the title role.

Musically and dramatically, hers is an astonishing characterisation. Her voice - dark-sounding, rich and strong - is capable both of scything through Strauss's vast orchestra with ease and of transforming into a fragile, unearthly pianissimo in moments of lyricism. Dramatically, she is exceptionally subtle. She avoids the tendency to present Elektra as pathological from the outset, preferring instead to reveal the layers of obsession, ferocity and soul-destroying loneliness that lurk beneath the facade she has adopted as a defence against unspeakable past trauma.

Much of what Charbonnet does is the stuff of genius, though one wishes the rest of the evening had been less uneven. Leandra Overmann's Klytemnestra, though sumptuously sung, was so inclined towards camp as to provoke the occasional titter at climactic moments. Silvana Dussmann's Chrysothemis, on the other hand, was such a compelling depiction of frustrated sensuality that one forgave the occasional moment of hardness in her tone. Iain Paterson's Orest was no more than adequate, though Ian Storey was a superb Aegisth.

Edward Gardner's conducting, meanwhile, was perfectly judged in its combination of violence and lyricism. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra's hard-edged sound gleamed and glinted like the blade of the axe that forever haunts Elektra's imagination. One major problem, however, was a certain amount of extraneous noise in the hall, apparently due to a faulty alarm. The performers coped heroically with it.