Opera: The Valkyrie, Coliseum, London

A leather-clad Brünnhilde raises the temperature

If the term "concert staging" strikes one as a bit of a contradiction in terms, that's because it is. English National Opera's new production of Wagner's Ring is to be directed by Phyllida Lloyd. But presumably her price and availability made it impossible for her to be involved in this the first stage of the process – which is a little like watching the ship leave port without her.

Characters are being established, psychology explored, vocal and physical needs tested. But the singers must feel like they've washed up on some strange no man's land between concert performance and staging. It will be interesting, for instance, to see how they finally adapt to having to look at each other. That, apparently, does not happen in a "concert staging". The Valkyrie was played entirely "out front" – often to poetic effect, it has to be said – but it begged the question: what were we actually seeing? Flanked by harps and timpani and shrouded in a constant waft of dry ice, the effect was surreal, to say the least.

Still, lessons will hopefully be learnt from the "dry runs". This Valkyrie still had some way to go to achieve real distinction. The great first act resolutely refused to rise. No electricity. Not even the rosiny rainstorm of the prelude gave us that. The orchestra sounded muted, tentative, almost as if Paul Daniel, the conductor, was initially as lost as Siegmund.

So it continued. Perhaps Daniel felt the need to nurse his singers. Par Lindskog's Siegmund needed nursing; this boyish young singer has many good notes but he doesn't yet string them together with conviction. His delivery was stiff and prosaic, characterised by an irritating habit of sliding up to the note from below. Even the big moments were slightly apologetic. Not so his Sieglinde, Orla Boylan, who really grew with the evening. She needs to develop her middle voice – where the heart of Sieglinde really lies – but by Act III she was able to fill the great redemption of love motif as if her whole future depended on it.

So after a dispiriting Act I, enter Robert Hayward's Wotan and Kathleen Broderick's cat-like, leather-clad Brünnhilde fizzing with energy. Immediately the temperature rose. Broderick's battle cries were fearless, her feistiness just what Wagner envisaged. But again, most of this role is intensely lyric, residing in the middle and lower voice. That's where Broderick will need to find more interest and beauty if she is to come through the next two instalments with any credit. Hayward, too, must explore word-colour more. His storytelling is great – the Act II narration was thoughtful, dramatic, full of interest. But he must find more variety in the voice through the words. Still, he has presence, authority and heart. The farewell scene touched heights that had seemed improbable earlier. Hayward was tiring now, but Daniel was finding the line, strings and horns opening up gloriously with the final embrace of father and daughter.

Jeremy Sams's new English translation is first rate and generally well-heard, though Susan Parry – sounding more harassed than indomitable as Fricka – failed to sharpen her words along with her tongue in Act II's big haranguing match with Wotan. As ever, Sams manages to be faithful to the spirit of the text without slavishness, often to beautiful effect: "I'll seal your soul in soundest sleep," Wotan says to Brünnhilde in the final scene. The use of rhyme, too, conveys a heightened, mythic quality.

It has been announced that the Barbican will host the first complete cycle of the ENO Ring as "staged concerts" in autumn this year and next. In 2004, Phyllida Lloyd comes on board and it remains to be seen how many of the current cast will be sailing with her.

27 Jan, 23 Feb, 2 Mar (020-7632 8300)