The much-anticipated Proms performance of John Adams's Nixon in China, conducted by the composer himself and directed by Paul Curran, marked the 25th anniversary of the work's groundbreaking premiere. Arguably the most influential opera of the last few decades, it has lost none of its power and remains Adams' finest stage work. And though the events it depicts might no longer seem like recent history to some, its analysis of the relationships between personal and political integrity, and between ideological sincerity and fanaticism, has, if anything, gained greater relevance with time.

It was a while, in this instance, before its impact was fully felt. The BBC Symphony took a few minutes to settle and there were a couple of problems with balance, rapidly sorted, near the start. Curran, his style cramped by the platform layout, relied heavily on back projections of flags and motorcades. There was no second-act ballet, though by that point the performance had become so utterly engrossing that you didn't need to see it anyway.

There were some nice touches. Rather than attempt anything that resembled the landing of the presidential plane, Curran allowed Robert Orth's grinning Nixon to present Gerald Finley's bemused Chou En-lai with a toy aircraft as a gift. Jessica Rivera's Pat Nixon, sightseeing in Beijing, went on a handshake walkabout among the promenaders.

The singing was exemplary. Rivera's vulnerability and Finley's innate dignity were perfect foils for Orth's glib Nixon and the truculent grandeur of Alan Oke's Mao. The real shock, however, was Kathleen Kim's Madame Mao. Brandishing her little red book and hurling top notes about with terrifying precision, she brought the house down with her second-act aria – a career-making interpretation, one suspects, of a scene-stealing role.

• Available on iPlayer until 12 September.

Talk about it: what have been your proms highlights?