It was one of those rare productions in which everything worked and no footstep went wrong, from the marvellous singing of mezzo Christiane Rushton as Orfeo, to soprano Olga Tylman as Euridice and soprano Ann Horton as a perky, Tinkerbell-ish Amor.

The opera itself marked a turning point in the history of opera. While it continued the tradition of a story based on a classical subject - in this case the myth of legendary poet and singer Orpheus's journey to Hades to rescue his wife Euridice, the traditional court spectacle is much reduced and simplified, with a deep pyschological and profoundly human struggle in the final act.

Because of his mastery of song and poetry, Orpheus managed to persuade the Gods of the Underworld to let him lead Euridice back to life. But he was forbidden to look at her until safely across the bridge between death and life or she would return to Hades forever.

With the chorus and the small orchestra, directed by Walter Kemp at the back of the stage, Barker replaces the ballet with the inspired physical theatre of Zuppa Circus Theatre (Susan Leblanc, Stewart Leger and Ben Stone, choreographed by Alex McLean).

They make much of the dominant set-piece, an 18-foot bridge designed by scenographer Sheila Provazza. The bridge's gentle curve suggests a Japanese garden, and its surface captures Colin Richardson's lighting design with colours and patterns that reflect the changing moods of the story.

It is not just the bridge to the Underworld, but the bridge to the Elysian Fields where flowers bloom and the sun shines and all is filled with light and sweetness.

The Zuppa troupe appear as the Furies in the first act, and the Blessed Spirits in the second. Their quick, angular gestures in the first are balanced by lyrical, flowing motions in the second.

The music is never flamboyant or showy. The 18-piece orchestra, all members or extras with Symphony Nova Scotia, sounded extremely fine and though thin in numbers, never forced the tone away from a rosy resonance.

Christine Feierabend played the famous flute solo in the Dance of the Blessed Sprites with a light, silvered sound in an elegant legato style. In his treatise on orchestration, Berlioz quotes this tune as an example of the most beautiful melody ever written for the flute. Feierabend and her colleagues, with Jennifer Publicover on second flute, showed why.

Gluck's music which starts the second act, depicting Orpheus's entry into the Elysian Fields, is pure sleight of ear, fusing a magical strangeness with sweetness and warmth. The strings play a gently flowing rhythmic accompaniment, while the oboe (Suzanne Lemieux) creates a long, leisurely melodic line, and the flute, with extremely delicate flutters and airy gestures, arouses images of butterflies and flowers. It an exquisite, unforgettable moment in which you can feel the softness of the breeze and smell the perfume of the flowers.

But the story belongs to Rushton and Tylman, who sing so well and so strongly and with such conviction, while Amor, arms akimbo, is full of delight at the good news she brings.

And with this production, ideally balancing resources and standards, Opera Nova Scotia firmly sets the high standard of artistic achievement which has mostly eluded it in its first seven years.