IMAGINE Sleeping Beauty racked out — on a rock — for 20 years, and the prince who kisses her awake turns out to be a proto-Nazi slob in parka and ski-hat. It is the central image of Scottish Opera’s Ring, and one which can daunt the hardiest constitution. In this context, it’s hard to take Siegfried seriously as saviour of the world. In fact, the thought is terrifying. It is the queasiest moment in Tim Albery’s production of Wagner’s cycle.
And then, after a night being mummed up by Brünnhilde, Siegfried emerges with a new suit, hormones tamed and a backslapping affability. And he doesn’t save the world. He unwittingly betrays Brünnhilde, fails to return the ring to the Rhinemaidens, and gets killed.
What