It weren’t the serpent wot got American mezzo, Joyce DiDonato, at her Eden performance, at London’s Barbican on Tuesday. It were the IKEA instructions. Rather, the lack of them.

IWe mortals struggle with our ever-collapsing chests of drawers, depicted by strange, idiot-provoking runic script instructions in thankful Saturday afternoon privacy. DiDonato was called on to assemble a complex stage device in full public view. No screwdriver needed. A hammer might have helped.