Plenty there to explore, then, but with the characters reduced to living props in a vast cartoon, there was little chemistry between Tamino and Pamina, and Papageno’s jokes fell coldly into the gap

Caroline Wettergreen, as Queen of the Night, adds some spectacular octaves to her already stratospheric opening aria, and always reliable Brindley Sherratt manages to maintain his dignity as Sarastro,

With this Flute, Glyndebourne betrays this history. Musically, apart from Brindley Sherratt’s imposing Sarastro, it’s truly second-rate.

Running a politically correct lawnmower over the classics often wrecks them – but in many ways this is a hugely enjoyable show.

There is no doubt that some of the effects were highly imaginative but, as the opera progressed, they became increasingly silly, distracting and tasteless.