MORE than any other composer or genre of music, Mozart benefits from being heard live.

And his music, and music in general, doesn't come a whole lot better than Don Giovanni, here given a suitably jovial and lightly bawdy delivery by Welsh National Opera.

In the title role Gavan Ring made for a terrific rake, strutting around the stage long-limbed, seizing women in boisterous bounds and declaring his greatness in an agile baritone.

As Leporello, David Stout was also very mobile, mimicking his master's movements, and drawing out the more devious, mischievous side to the character.

The set was dark in contrast to the white, grey and beige hues of the costumes, and a re-creation of Auguste Rodin's Gates of Hell sculpture takes centre-stage, swallowing the Commendatore at the start, and the Don at the finale.

Elements of a terrace of doors in the same blackened baroque style are pushed around the stage for scenes, in a manner which is largely seamless, although it was distracting during the sublime Donna Anna, Don Ottavio and Donna Elvira trio outside Giovanni's ball.

Of the trio, in the first two roles Emily Birsan and Benjamin Hulett were both vocally strong, the latter in particular a fine lyric tenor with minimal apparent strain at the higher end of the range. Looking almost like a foppish Regency-era officer, he and his counterpart were suitably earnest and pathetic in performance.

Camilla Roberts was appropriately neurotic as Don Elvira, with a powerful voice (and backhand) that cut through Giovanni and Leporello's manipulations where necessary. She seemed a little uncertain in some of the more agile runs.

Katie Bray's Zerlina was very strong vocally and I was not surprised to read that she is a baroque specialist with a sweet clarity of tone well suited to the part.

All in all a straight, strong and witty Giovanni, stirring in its famous climax, and more evidence of the quality of the WNO.