Poul Ruders's opera The Handmaid's Tale is hardly an unknown quantity: its world-première production in Copenhagen in 2000 was recorded by da capo (8.224165–66) in a three-CD set that received justly loud encomia. But the UK stage première, transferring the Danish production for a run at the English National Opera that began on 3 April, revealed – in a way that the recording obviously could not – what a superior piece of theatre it is: music, libretto, direction, stage design, costumes and lighting all coalesce to thrilling effect. A depressing number of operatic productions sacrifice musical integrity to directorial whim, so it's deeply heartening to report that, for once, everything pulled dedicatedly in the same direction, with outstanding results: it has been years since I've seen something this good.