Britten Death in Venice

Death in Venice was Brittens final operaan extraordinarily atmospheric and haunting adaptation of Thomas Manns novella evoking the grandeur and shabbiness of a Venice in the grip of disease He eloquently and evocatively describes the moral and physical degeneration of Aschenbach the writer whose obsessive pursuit of beauty in the form of a boy leads him into humiliation and death Robert Tear takes the demanding role of Aschenbach opposite Alan Opie who sings the various baritone parts To portray the beauty and fascination of the Polish family and Tadzio Britten made prominent the use of dance by turning these characters into dancers choreographed in this production by Martha Clarke This new production for Glydebourne is directed by Stephen Lawless and conducted by Graeme Jenkins