I knew that I could be more creative onstage, to state my own case and deliver my own interpretation of the role much more aggressively than in the recording studio.

It is said this would be the end of her operatic career but obviously this is not certain. The semi-finalists were accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Martin Yates Richard Balcombe and Roderick Dunk and their performances were judged by Te Kanawa Anne Howells Robin Stapleton and director John Cox. In 2012 Te Kanawa was awarded a World Class New Zealand award in the Iconic New Zealander category.

The Kiri Te Kanawaer beauty of Te Kanawa's voice made her one of the leading operatic sopranos internationally of the 1970s and 1980s. Her voice has been described as "mellow yet vibrant warm ample and unforced". She is particularly associated with the works of Mozart Strauss Verdi Handel and Puccini.