English National Opera has announced that this will be the final revival of Nicholas Hytner's production, which has done great service since 1988. Bob Crowley's designs blend solemnity with sheer visual enchantment, while Hytner's staging (rehearsed here by Ian Rutherford) matches Viennese low comedy with Enlightenment high-mindedness. It is not going to be an easy show to replace, especially with such strong casting this time around on the male side.

Andrew Kennedy sings an elegant Tamino, though he was less good at interacting with the other characters, particularly Sarah-Jane Davies's slightly stiff Pamina. Her vocalism is a little stiff, too.

But the other male roles would be hard to better. Brindley Sherratt is an outstanding Sarastro, delivering the part with scrupulous musicality and outlining not only the priest's authority but also his authoritarian tendencies. Roderick Williams's Papageno is new to the production, but his vocalism is as classically stylish as Sherratt's and his northern likely-lad characterisation wins the hearts of the audience. A few more performances and they will be eating out of his hand. Matthew Rose's short intervention as the enigmatic Speaker shifts the whole scope of the piece on to a deeper level. Stuart Kale is a welcome return to the company with his expertly crafted comic-villainous Monostatos.

Martin André's conducting is on the fast side, occasionally registering as lightweight, but the orchestra and chorus are on their best form. In the end, it is the visuals and well-judged direction that continue to give this long-running Flute its impeccable tone and pace. Let us hope ENO's replacement comes close to matching it.

· In rep until October 17. Box office: 0870 145 0200