It was hard to avoid thoughts that the twilight of an era had fallen on the Berlin State Opera’s long history when the first cycle of the latest production of Wagner’s opus magnus, Der Ring des Nibelungen, opened on 2nd October.

Johannes Martin Kränzle (Alberich) in Das Rheingold. Photo © Monika Rittershaus

Daniel Barenboim – celebrated general music director of both the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Staatsoper Berlin, which he has overseen for 30 years – was to conduct but withdrew due to ill health just weeks before the premiere. Then, in the past week, it was announced that the maestro would be taking a step back from performing activities, especially conducting, due to the diagnosis of a neurological condition.

Taking his place was Christian Thielemann, fresh from a season at Bayreuth where he has conducted all 10 of Wagner’s mature operas over the years. With a reading as unrushed as you would hear, Thielemann accommodated the voices most attentively with the music. The resplendent detail and effective dynamics he created were something to behold as he sculptured a profoundly affecting, thoughtfully modulated musical sphere. Standing out in particular were the...