There was a time when the toughest ticket to procure on the Minnesota Orchestra's schedule was the annual Sommerfest opera finale. A one-night-only affair, it often involved top-flight soloists and was sometimes presented somewhat "semi-staged," sometimes strictly in a concert setting.

That tradition seemed to have left the building when Andrew Litton departed from his post as Sommerfest's artistic director in 2017. But please note that the orchestra's current music director, Thomas Søndergård, is quite celebrated in Europe for conducting opera. So perhaps it was only a matter of time before the art form found its way back to Orchestra Hall.

Thursday night marked the return of this prodigal programming, with Søndergård choosing for his first foray into operatic fare with this orchestra the last of Giacomo Puccini's creations, "Turandot."

And what a cast he and the orchestra's management assembled: In the title role was a star soprano, Christine Goerke, who has sung it at New York's Metropolitan Opera and elsewhere. The suitor at the story's center was a buzz-artist tenor, Limmie Pulliam, while that character's support network included the winner of the 2023 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Adolfo Corrado, and, stepping in on short notice, soprano Mané Galoyan, who has sung major roles with the industry's elite opera companies.

These proved to be the ingredients for one of the most exciting evenings at Orchestra Hall in recent memory. The air of anticipation gave way to a hum of energy from the almost-capacity crowd, and the orchestra, soloists and the Minnesota Chorale came through with a thrilling performance.

How enjoyable it was to experience the orchestra lending its marvelous ensemble sound to Puccini's score, which one could argue was one of the last great works of romanticism despite not premiering until 1926. And the choir proved similarly exceptional, acting as something of a Greek chorus and vocal mob for the opera's tale of a Chinese princess' vengeful bloodlust and the prince who sets out to capture her heart.

The main attraction in these "opera in concert" presentations is the ability to watch the musicians of an orchestra create magic together that's usually hidden in the pit at an opera performance. So Thursday's audience was able to not only swoon and cheer to the outstanding vocal work, but could see how much teamwork goes into making Puccini's score sing.

There was exciting musicianship to be found throughout the 2½-hour performance, but one can't overstate Goerke's contributions to the evening's success. The soprano's metamorphosis from vindictive power wielder to romantic lead was a convincing one, her lines moving from explosive and earthy to touchingly tender.

But another soprano almost stole the opera out from under her: Galoyan delivered one arresting aria after another, transfixing with her long-held notes, soft and high, as well as bringing convincing confidence to the opera's most heroic character. And Corrado lent a booming bass voice to the father of the prince at the center of the opera's romance.

While tenor Pulliam was sometimes overpowered by the orchestra in the early going, all was forgiven when he unleashed the aria that made "Turandot" famous, "Nessun Dorma." He lent it just the right combination of sincerity and schmaltz.

But the most charismatic character onstage may have been Søndergård, whose enthusiasm for the music shone through all evening. Here's hoping these explorations of the operatic repertoire become a more frequent occurrence at Orchestra Hall.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

Minnesota Orchestra performs 'Turandot'

When: 7 p.m. Sat.

Where: Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.

Tickets: $45-$139, available at 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org