Scenes of sex and violence are beamed into our homes daily, so the brutish behaviour of the characters in this opera no longer shocks. As a drama, Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth would fall apart were it not for the music - and even the music, with its mixture of styles, threatens to become disjointed.

Alexander Anissimov and the RTECO solve that problem by driving energetically forward and making stirring use of the augmented brass, so the overall impression is of a machine about to go out of control. The more reflective and sparely orchestrated passages gain in depth of feeling because of the hectic nature of their context.

The director, Dieter Kaegi, had the task of finding a style which could express both the farcical and tragical aspects of the plot, and in this he is greatly helped by Joe Vanek's designs and Paul Keogan's lighting. The wedding feast at the beginning of Act Three is a superb example of tableau vivant. A further visual pleasure is provided by the dancers, choreographed by Liz Roche, who move the screens and shift the furniture during the orchestral interludes.

Helen Field, the eponymous heroine, gives a realistic portrayal of a woman whose best impulses have been thwarted and who finds escape in illicit passion and murder, but the singer with the most presence is Gerard O'Connor, the father-in-law. Vadim Zaplechny, the lover, sings with Italianate gusto.

The Opera Ireland chorus sing and act with impressive power, coming into their own at the desolate close of the work as they hymn the endless march of the convicts through the Siberian steppe, the torments of love drowned in the misery of mankind.

Plays tonight, Thursday and Saturday at 7.30 p.m. (booking at 01-6771717).