Myfanwy Piper’s libretto is left to do much of the work in the production. Here McVicar’s restrained sets and sparing use of props pays an expressive dividend in ways that it has not elsewhere, wh

But if Britten’s score plays an elaborate game of tension and release, then David McVicar’s new staging is all release, albeit a tastefully calculated one.

This uneasy work, not helped by Myfanwy Piper’s dense libretto, is rendered unmissable by its glittering, restless score, rich with gongs and bells, piano and harp, superbly played by the Royal Oper

McVicar knows how to direct his singers too, and the near ideal casting for the two leads, Mark Padmore and Gerald Finley, makes this an impressive and innovative reimaging of Britten’s too rarely h

The evening is conducted superbly by Richard Farnes who achieves the right balance between attaining clarity and conveying a sense of intrigue. The cast is also superb with Mark Padmore as von Aschenb