Performer: Mari Palo

For any opera house, the production of a new Wagner Ring cycle is a huge undertaking and becomes a mission statement. For Finnish National Opera, its mission is to stage an all-Finnish Ring.

In an unusually convincing concert performance, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Finnish National Opera emphasised the lyrical aspects of Wagner's Das Rheingold.

Baritone Jaakko Koretkangas and pianist Nino Gvetadze prove the stars of an evening of great variety ending with a thrilling scene from an obscure Hindemith opera.