There was a huge sigh of disappointment when Brisbane Festival artistic director Lyndon Terracini took to the Concert Hall stage last night to announce that soprano Lisa Gasteen had fallen ill and would not perform in the concert version of the Strauss opera Salome. Ninety minutes later, there was a sustained standing ovation for Margaret Medlyn, who had flown in from New Zealand less than 24 hours earlier and sang the title role beautifully and passionately without rehearsal. Full credit to Medlyn, conductor Simone Young, the rest of the distinguished international cast and the Queensland Orchestra (whose members were unaware of the change in soprano until Terracini's announcement).