For nearly two centuries the warbling of the soprano in the celebrated Mad Scene in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor has been accompanied by a solo flute.

The composer actually wrote the part for a glass harmonica, however - the executant in question was dispensed with after a dispute - and that is what we have in David Alden's revived production.

Once you've heard the otherworldly sounds of the glass harmonica, you'll never be satisfied with the flute again.

Alden's inspired staging is revisionist in other ways too, highlighting the patriarchal oppression that forces Lucia into a loveless marriage.

Charles Edwards's brooding Victorian sets, graphically lit by Adam Silverman, contribute to the sense of a world out of kilter.

Anna Christy walks Lucia's highwire vocal line with considerable skill but her coloratura is as pallid as her features. Fortunately there are two strong performances going on around her.

Barry Banks, kilted and ferociously ardent, returns as her rather too impetuous lover Edgardo, while the American baritone Brian Mulligan takes over as the lubricious, heartless brother Enrico.

With his firm but ingratiating tone and impeccable diction, Mulligan is quite outstanding. Clive Bayley is also excellent as the hypocritical chaplain, Raimondo.

Orchestral intonation was occasionally wayward last night but Antony Walker's assured conducting complements Alden's direction, making for a constantly gripping evening's musical theatre.

Until 26 Feb. Information: 0871 911 0200, www.eno.org