Ibsen regarded this, his longest play, as his masterpiece. It has never before been staged in this country, though it was broadcast on Radio 3 in the early Nineties. Uncut, it could be as long as eight hours; here, in a new version by Ben Power, it runs for slightly more than three.
The central figure is Julian, the philosophically minded reformer who presided over the Roman Empire from AD 355 to 363, and we're presented with an account of his rise and fall that is, in most respects, historically accurate.
Julian escapes Constantinople, where he is constrained by his uncle, and falls under the influence of Maximus of Ephesus, a mystic who interests him in omens and magic. Julian rejects the Christian faith in which he has been brought up and gradually becomes an addict of paganism, before starting to think of himself as quasi-divine.
The action takes place in locations as far apart as France and the Persian desert, and it's not just the geography of the play that sprawls. Ibsen is preoccupied with imperialism, the stifling effects of religion, personal freedom and the machinations of time.
Director Jonathan Kent is alert to the writing's theatricality. Expertly marshalling a cast of around 50, he fully exploits the superb resources of the National Theatre's Olivier stage.
There is plenty more to admire in this production: Paul Brown's brooding sets, Mark Henderson's lighting and Jonathan Dove's percussive score.
While the performances are a little uneven, there is cogent work from Jamie Ballard, Nabil Shaban and John Heffernan, and Ian McDiarmid casts a tormenting spell as Maximus.
But it's Andrew Scott as Julian who is the star of the show. His performance is immense. He evolves from wheedling adolescence into a terrifying zealous maturity, and his final descent into paranoia is portrayed with a particular gauzy grace.
Yet in the end I'm not convinced that Emperor and Galilean is as profound as it sets out to be. The attempts to make it seem punchily contemporary (mainly through projections) misfire, and the text still has some prosaic longueurs.
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Fans of Ibsen hardly need telling that they should see this epic drama. After all, when will they get another chance to do so? But it's not easy to recommend this exacting spectacle to a wider audience.
Until August 10 (020 7452 3000, nationaltheatre.org.uk)
Emperor And Galilean
National Theatre: Olivier
South Bank, SE1 9PX
