After a period, she became dissatisfied and asked to audition at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg.
She was asked to learn the role of Renata in Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel for Sir Edward Downes who was auditioning singers for a joint production of the opera for Covent Garden and the Mariinsky.
She has also sung in many other key Russian operas: Tatiana in Eugene Onegin, Lisa in The Queen of Spades, Iolanta, Mazeppa, Ruslan and Lyudmila.
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.