Richard Strauss’ grand 1911 work is, for many, the epitome of what an opera should be, with its elegant old-time setting, wistful romantic heroine, almost obscenely gorgeous music and a knowing sophistication that flatters the opera fan just as it can repulse the sceptic. It is an opera that stubbornly resists interference, its dense text (by the Viennese Hugo von Hofmannsthal) and precise stage directions leaving little room for producers. Flemish Opera’s coup was to employ the actor Christoph Waltz, best-known for his appearances in Tarantino films, to make his directorial debut. Waltz is an opera-loving Viennese with a solid theatrical background, and it was a clever way to kick off a fabulous season that includes Rossini’s Otello, Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of