The chief reproach levelled at Stéphane Braunschweig’s staging of The Ring in Aix has been its lack of epic status. Curiously timid video work and a reliance on polite and tasteful minimalism seemed to suggest a low risk appetite; hardly ideal in a festival setting that should encourage experimentation.

Braunschweig’s skill at interpersonal drama makes a bigger impact in this, the final episode, which deals mainly with the human sphere, but not enough to dispel doubts that he has thrown in the towel on the bigger picture. For the Journey to the Rhine, he avoids video altogether and simply brings the curtain down.

The one element that reveals the talent Braunschweig has unleashed in other opera stagings is his canny portrayal of Hagen (Mikhail Petrenko, memorably sinister) as a particularly cold-blooded manipulator, but these are still thin pickings in a canvas of these dimensions.

The other bid for originality is the bizarre representation of Gunther’s vassals as the Gibichung Country Club. Summoned by ear-splitting blasts from the crude steer horns that Wagner chose to suggest their yobbish personalities, they saunter on in tennis whites carrying rackets and polo sticks.

The decibels Sir Simon Rattle extracts from the steer horns sums up his approach, which goes for extremes, from cushioned murmurs of exquisitely pointed detail to unbridled and often gratuitous force. As usual, each leitmotif is lovingly enshrined, providing us with a fascinating insight into thematic substructure but offering a self-conscious parade of the Berlin Philharmonic’s superlative technique. Ultimately, the dramatic flow of the music suffers.

After a nervous start, Ben Heppner’s Siegfried – lumberjack shirt and Tarnhelm stuffed into his trousers like a golden dishcloth – settles down into a display of superbly elegant singing, a welcome revelation in this role. Katerina Dalayman’s untiring, feisty Brünnhilde upstages him in lung power but they still make a superb pair. Gerd Grochowski is excellent as the spineless Gunther, rolling out lieder singer effects and the Rhine maidens blend beautifully. The surprise comes from Anne Sofie von Otter’s Waltraute, an unlikely choice, but a fine example of stage persona triumphing over subdued vocal power.

The Aix Ring promised so much on paper but the staging finishes as it started: with a decorative whimper. ★★★☆☆

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