In 2018 the cast is less starry – at least for Das Rheingold – but also uniformly excellent. It is a rare experience, for very good practical reasons, to experience a complete Wagner opera and for

Musically this was a scorcher, Antonio Pappano repeating his success of 2012 and gaining conviction as the cycle progressed. Some may quibble with isolated aspects, but when Pappano elicits a top rate

The god Wotan (John Lundgren) has caused the crisis by attempting to cheat the giants, who built Valhalla, of their promised reward of the goddess of youth, Freia, beautifully sung by Lise Davidsen.

Once again, ROH music director Antonio Pappano conducts. Never before has Wagner’s fantasy of gods, giants and dragons seemed more pertinent.

Das Rheingold never got off the ground: curiously, the conductor Antonio Pappano seemed unable to draw anything much out of the orchestra – the strings sounded tired, the brass uncertain and overall