Nina Stemme is accustomed to warm receptions at final curtains, but the ovation from all parts of the house on this particular evening appeared to be beyond all expectations - seemingly leaving the Swedish soprano stunned and moved.

Indeed, there was much to enjoy in Stemme’s Brünnhilde – above all sincerity and intensity, not to mention the undying stamina required to transport the evening's true climax; the closing Immolation Scene. The singer’s personal and vocal warmth triumph over (and often eclipse) issues of tonal focus, or duress in the instrument’s upper extremes - leaving an overall strong impression and guarantee for a full house.

Stephen Gould (returning as Siegfried) generally rides Wagner’s testing score with aplomb, and with an unusually dark timbre which easily pairs with his Brünnhilde.

Jochen Schmeckenbecher builds upon earlier success in this run as Alberich - while as Hagen, Attila Jun fails somewhat in expression and impact, despite some impressive vocal moments.

As Gutrune, Caroline Wenborne now brings just the right timbre and deportment to a well-rounded and appealing reading. Markus Eiche draws the most from his well-schooled baritone, portraying an elegant and upstanding Gunther who is able to pull out all the stops on the required occasions.

Janina Baechle was an intense and captivating Waltraute. Her great scene with Brünnhilde  (“Höre mit Sinn, was ich dir sage”) - was a memorable highlight.

An excellent trio of Norns (Zoryana Kushpler, Stephanie Houtzeel and Ildiko Raimondi) contrasted with a disappointingly strident and somewhat discordant group of Rhinemaidens (Simina Ivan, Ulrike Helzel, and Alisa Kolosova). 

Adam Fischer and the Vienna Opera Orchestra received an ovation almost approaching that of the evening’s Brünnhilde. As one would expect, there were many wonderful moments, but this was a reading marred rather by too many fluffs and wanting the great architecture of certain legendary milestones.

In its 16th performance of the Bechtolf/Glittenberg production, this Götterdämmerung delivers some effective snapshots but is often static (and even awkward - such as in Siegfried’s Act 3 scene with the Rheinmaidens) in interaction.  Just over half a decade old, yet somehow gathering a little dust in places.