Without sacrificing the mythological framework or the essential structure of the drama, Mr Castellucci transposed the opera to a world entirely of his own making: a snowbound landscape, flat and largely featureless save for a few rocks, some distant evergreens shrouded in fog, and a single spindly tree.

In prefacing the Ligeti's Requiem with works of absurd humour and pastoral grace, the concert had been able to capture some of the contradictions of a century formed from equal parts greatness and horror, and one in which unpredictability was the only constant

While the vocabulary of the Philharmonie Berlin continues to inform the design of concert halls into the present day, Scharoun’s design has arguably not yet been surpassed.'Lontano' and 'Atmosphères', works that belong to the same era, are equally inimitable: one is still amazed by Ligeti’s ability to envisage these sounds and structures, and to capture them in notated form.

If Mr Barkhatov’s staging made light work of the Simon Boccanegra libretto’s complexities, it was Mr Bignamini’s unforced but consistently well-judged reading that allowed Verdi’s score to flourish.

The main attraction was the German première of Mr Salonen’s Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra, which was completed and given its first performance (in Katowice) only six days ago.With Olivier Latry on the Karl Schuke organ of the Philharmonie and spirited direction from the composer himself, the new work provided a compelling centrepiece to an evening that never lacked excitement.

It was neither the spirited playing of the orchestra, the enthusiasm of the singers, nor even the restrained splendour of the staging that could claim sole responsibility for the success of the production: it was rather the perfect balance between its various elements that transformed this 'Mitridate' into a subtle, stylish, and thoroughly engaging evening

This 'Fidelio' was a production that felt uneasy less for the implied violence of the libretto (or the real violence of the staging) than for a hurried pace that left little room for reflection

'Il Giustino' was written first and foremost a vocal showcase, and the staging acknowledged this by turning the area around the orchestra pit into a platform, allowing the singers to deliver their arias directly to the audience without an excess of projection that might have ruined the delicate balance between voice and instrumental ensemble

For all that Mr Tcherniakov was willing to drag the themes of the Ring far beyond their normal context, the four evenings of the cycle were balanced by performances that brought out the intoxicating musical qualities that have drawn generations of listeners into Wagner’s world

The evening was first and foremost a musical triumph, with high-quality performances from all of the soloists, although was the first time in the cycle where one was not entirely convinced that all the components of the staging fit into a rigorously conceived whole.