After the exaltation of the closing duet in Siegfried (memorably sung by Stefan Vinke and Lise Lindstrom), we had to wait until the second part of the Prologue to Götterdämmerung before meeting the post-coital lovers.

First we had the Norns (Tania Ferris, Jacqueline Dark, Anna-Louise Cole), daughters of Erda, weavers of the rope of fate on which the world’s future will depend. Back on the rock, Siegfried and Brünnhilde’s exposed mattress was set far back on the large stage. This presented some difficulties for both singers, who seemed understandably tired after their heroics in Siegfried. Early on, Lindstrom evinced signs of strain. Then she simply sang louder, longer, surer – a revival worthy of her character. When Brünnhilde offered Siegfried her horse, Grane (‘Zu neuen Taten’), Lindstrom produced a long, ecstatic trill.