 She has also sung the Italian repertoire, Cio-Cio San in "Madama Butterfly" the opera in which she made her "Metropolitan Opera" debut in 1995, "Aida", Elisabeth de Valois in "Don Carlo", the Leonoras in "Il trovatore" and "La forza del destino", "Tosca", and "Norma".Although Gergiev played a key role in her early success and despite the many performances and recordings in which she has sung under his baton, both at the Mariinsky and on tour, Gorchakova has spoken harshly of his arrogant attitude towards her and other Russian singers and of what she perceives as attempts by him to stop her international career as payback for her leaving the Mariinsky.She was a prize-winner in the Mussorgsky and Glinka competitions.