London Coliseum, 23 June 2016

This is the third revival of David Alden’s production and it seems to bounce back better on each occasion. The expressionist approach to the staging serves Janacek’s work well and puts all of the focus on the character relationships. Laura Wilde was making her European and ENO debut in the title role and was touchingly successful. Her calm authority and gentle joy in the third act was immensely impressive, and her singing throughout was warm and passionate, easily filling the theatre.

Nicky Spence was a rather wild Steva in the first act but found more control in the later scenes to give us a more complex and credible figure. Peter Hoare’s Laca grows in stature as the evening progresses and his deep humanity, lost in the machine shed of the opening act, finally comes to its own in the tender final duet.

However, it is Michaela Martens’ Kostelnicka which galvanises the evening. Her vocal characterisation is thrilling throughout and the act two soliloquy is terrifying in its intensity.

The smaller parts were all well cast, with a splendid Mayor’s Wife from Natalie Herman.

Mark Wigglesworth’s reading of act one was rather laid back but he brought a better sense of pace to act two and three, with a well-structured and moving finale.

Yet again, ENO has shown that it has the resources to mount outstanding productions when all the parts are in place.