At Lincoln Center on New Year’s Eve, there was opera at the opera – and opera at the Philharmonic. (Actually, there was operetta at the opera – “Die Fledermaus” – but let’s not quibble.) Lorin Maazel, the Philharmonic’s music director, led a program of Italian overtures, dances, intermezzi, and arias. And who was along to sing those arias? Why, Angela Gheorghiu, the world’s most glamorous opera star.

But don’t hold that against her: This Romanian soprano is actually a great singer, which will be universally recognized, once she’s retired or dead. The press loves to hate her, and they save a little bit of venom for her husband, Roberto Alagna (the tenor). They are “the Love Couple,” you see. But she, certainly, is a consummate vocal artist, as she proved again on New Year’s Eve.

As for Mr. Maazel, he is a New Year’s Eve specialist, especially when he’s in Vienna, which always does a waltzy, polka-y, galop-y show. Avery Fisher Hall this year was all New Year’s Eve’d out: with a fancy backdrop, and red balls hanging from the ceiling, and the ladies of the orchestra in their colorful finery. This concert was on national TV, and it probably looked good.

It sounded pretty good, too. Mr. Maazel began with the overture to Rossini’s “Gazza Ladra,” and he judged those snare-drum entrances perfectly. (He also looked cool doing it. He always looks good, this rascal, even when the TV cameras aren’t whirring.) The beginning of the overture was majestic, full, arresting. The main part, however, was a little slow, a little heavy, and a little not-together. Frankly, I expected more mischief – more musical mis chief, more playfulness – from Mr. Maazel. But the overture was nonetheless well-defined.

Then La Gheorghiu made the first of her many entrances (garbed in the first of her many dresses and sporting the first of her many hairstyles). As she greeted her public, she showed us that signature hand gesture of hers, which always reminds me of Mussolini, somehow. Then she proceeded to sing “Ebben? Ne andro lontana,” from “La Wally,” by Catalani – the aria that Wilhelmenia Fernandez made famous in the 1981 French flick “Diva.”

Oh, my: Miss Gheorghiu demonstrated her usual qualities of control and expression. The voice is dark of color but light of weight – an unusual but extremely effective combination. She doesn’t oversing either, which is good, for she is essentially a lyric soprano, even a coloratura one. But she has a reserve of power, as she showed on her big B at the end of the Catalani aria.

Then she sang “Io son l’umile ancella” from Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur,” an aria sung consummately by – to name two – Leontyne Price and Renee Fleming. Miss Gheorghiu has a less large and lush voice than those, but she compensates with her musical and vocal wiles: She “filled out” that aria, tonally. She shaped it beautifully too.

At one point, she and Mr. Maazel were badly out of coordination – and I believe it was the brainiac maestro’s fault, not that of the airhead soprano.

Next, Mr. Maazel conducted the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana,” and in his hands it was simple and lovely, but not without drama – it wasn’t a dear thing.

Miss Gheorghiu then went for “Pace, pace,” from Verdi’s “Forza del Destino.” Should she be singing this role (Leonora)? No, but there’s nothing wrong with singing the aria. She did so in her fashion – lyrically – and Leonora’s maledictions at the end didn’t scare anyone, but Miss Gheorghiu had done well. Mr. Maazel ended the first half of the concert with the Ballabile from Verdi’s “Otello” – one of the most Oriental things that composer ever wrote, and adequately brought off here.

After intermission, it was Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” from the orchestra and three Puccini arias from the soprano.Then the overture to Verdi’s “Vespri Siciliani.” And then encores.

Mr. Maazel conducted Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture – or rather, its “Lone Ranger” portion. (Recall that this is a multi-section piece.) The orchestra muffed some bits, but the maestro’s timing was superb. And then Miss Gheorghiu sang her signature encore, “Muzica,” from her homeland. That broke the eveninglong Italian pattern, but Miss Gheorghiu tends to get her way. As she sang the piece, she seemed more interested in toying with her hair than in the music, but she still sang it impressively (if a tad stagily and insincerely, it seemed to me).

And do you know that Mr. Maazel conducted that thing from memory? When had he first seen it – that afternoon?

He, the soprano, and the audience closed the evening with “Auld Lang Syne,” and all was well with the world. Or at least with New Year’s Eve.