Here's the running order for tonight's final. Scroll down for TV live-blogging!
Eri Nakamura - Japan (soprano)
Je veux vivre (Roméo et Juliette) - Gounod
Eccomi in lieta vesta - Oh! quante volte (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) - Bellini
Tu che di gel sei cinta (Turandot) - Puccini
Cäcilie (Songs Op 27 No 2) - Richard Strauss
Giordano Lucà - Italy (tenor)
Una furtiva lagrima (L'Elisir d'amore) - Donizetti
La donna è mobile (Rigoletto) - Verdi
Che gelida manina (La bohème) - Puccini
O figli, o figli miei ... A la paterna mano (Macbeth) - Verdi
Addio, fiorito asil (Madama Butterfly) - Puccini
Jan Martiník - Czech Republic (bass)
Bĕda, Bĕda, ubohá Rusalko bledá (Rusalka) - Dvořák
La calunnia (Il barbiere di Siviglia) - Rossini
Ella giammai m'amò! ... Dormirò sol nel manto mio regal (Don Carlo) - Verdi
Yuriy Mynenko - Ukraine (counter-tenor)
Ombra fedele anch'io (Idaspe) - Broschi
Crude furie degl'orridi abissi (Serse) - Handel
Oh patria! ... Di tanti palpiti (Tancredi) - Rossini
Ekaterina Shcherbachenko - Russia (soprano)
Je voudrais bien savoir ... Ah! je ris (Faust) - Gounod
Signore, ascolta! (Turandot) - Puccini
No word from Tom (The Rake's Progress) - Stravinsky
Finalists: L-R Yuriy Mynenko, Ekaterina Shcherbachenko, Jan Martiník, Eri Nakamura and Giordano Lucà
***** flip over for blow-by-blow action *****
17:35 Mary King has cracked out the carmen rollers
17:40 and Eri's borrowed them. Two great spaniel ear ringlets - not a good look.
17:41 oh dear, nerves. Je veux vivre sounds horribly pinched. Not easy to be the first one on.
17:44 Eccomi sounds more comfortable. Of course she's done the whole thing at Covent Garden, which must help. Lovely line.
17:52 the Puccini is less convincing, despite all the gesticulation. The tone is too pressured.
17:56 nope, the Strauss is not great either. Unattractively screamy. Bel canto is her best suit. Not the wisest programme choices - why display your weaknesses when you could show your strengths?
18:03 Giordano Lucà is just so likeable. Audience prize?
18:04 smart boy has stuck with an all-Italian programme.
18:06 most of Una furtiva lagrima sounds gorgeous, but he's pushing the odd note. And missing a few. Still better than Filianoti though.
18:10 La donna è mobile lovely too, but he really sounds like the 21 year old he is. And ooh, some notes slipped badly in the last bar.
18:15 Che gelida manina is very musical, but I'm not getting much sense of the text. It's a fine instrument but he's not using all its colours.
18:18 is that his mum? Some scary-chic goth handing him his water between numbers.
18:20 O figli makes almost everyone sound good. No exception here. But again he could be singing about almost anything. 'Just' a beautiful sound.
18:23 the goth has a pob and knckledusters. Cripes.
18:28 Plenty of potential there but he just doesn't put the material across.
18:29 Jan Martiník now. My favourite from the earlier rounds, but that could all change.....
18:31 no nerves apparent. That's a good start.
18:35 brilliant Dvořák choice. Shows the middle of his voice, the best bit. And he understands what he's singing about.
18:37 and he can do cheeky too! (La calunnia). He's not overplaying the humour. Really intelligently thought out. Needs perhaps a little more agility than he has though.
18:42 makeup lady needs a step ladder to reach him.
18:43 orchestra horribly leaden for the Don Carlo intro.
18:45 he makes it sound so easy. Wonderful colours. And I believe it. Still my favourite - so far.
18:49 I wonder whether the judges are awarding any points for dramatic ability? I can imagine Jan on stage being totally convincing. Eri on the other hand overplayed and Giordano underplayed.
18:57 Yuriy Mynenko is a sort of soprano David Daniels, but with even more romantic flourish. Quite incredible. It's the sheer novelty of the sound that knocks you back as much as anything.
19:03 the Broschi is so slow and repetitive, not sure it's a great competition choice. Will he send the judges to sleep?
19:06 if it does, Crude furie will wake them up.
19:08 losing a little control as he speeds up. A few notes going astray, but what a passionate performance.
19:11 how fantastic to hear a countertenor in Rossini.
19:13 just amazing, incredible technique. It's down to him and Jan now.
19:16 Loved Ekaterina Shcherbachenko's Tatyana in the week, surprised she's not picked anything Russian for the final.
19:19 oh dear, Gounod a bit fluttery.
19:21 she's more of an all-round performer than a vocal technician. I can imagine being wowed by her on the opera stage, but here the odd flaw really stands out.
19:23 not a pretty enough sound for Gounod.
19:26 Signore, ascolta a better choice. She has terrific line, but it's a slow voice, and this gives her time to place the notes.
19:30 wonderfully clear diction in the Stravinsky, not easy in English.
19:35 she's humanised this very difficult aria. An incredible, intense performance.
19:41 so, Jan has the most beautiful voice, Yuriy is just astonishing, Ekaterina reaches out and touches you. What are the judges looking for? We shall find out soon....
19:45 Mary King's being very polite as she runs through the ghastly frock parade.
19:52 standing ovation for Dame Joan!
19:56 these tiresome windbag speeches. Wish they'd just do away with them.
19:57 Giordano gets the audience prize - no surprise there. A real sweetie.
19:59 Ekaterina gets it! The right choice.
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Here's her earlier Tchaikovsky captured on BBC video.
And here she is with her mitts on the Vase of Ultimate Triumph:
