A ruler makes a big mistake but acknowledges his error and agrees to step down from office. The storyline of Mozart’s Idomeneo may seem implausible to today’s world but it hasn’t stemmed the tide of enthusiasm for it in recent decades.

Of course, there’s some cracking good music, too, and Europa Galante under Fabio Biondi were largely successful in realising it in this concert performance.

Not that they made it easy for themselves. Their stage arrangement abandoned period formation of separated first and second violins, with the result that the string section was insufficiently differentiated.

The harpsichord faced the wrong way, requiring the continuo player continually to look over her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Biondi, undecided whether he’s a violinist or a conductor, directed not from the front desk but from a podium, with a largely redundant, if presumably expensive, violin and bow in one hand, inhibiting his gestures; he also had to step off the podium to co-ordinate the famous quartet.

A strong cast held its own, however. The anguish of the ruler, Idomeneo, was conveyed as much by Ian Bostridge’s physical contortions as by his voice but his big aria, Fuor del Mar, was convincingly delivered.

Kate Royal caught the tender, vulnerable quality of Ilia to perfection, while Emma Bell’s more full-bodied tone, still capable of breath-catching nuances, was ideal for the vengeance-wreaking Elettra.

Jurgita Adamonyte and Benjamin Hulett were also admirable as Idamante and Arbace, and the Opera Seria Chorus supplied a dependable choral backdrop to the unfolding political drama.