Death in Venice

Benjamin Britten's final opera—which offers a rumination on the disjuncture between the intellectual and passionate sides of the human psyche—is impressively staged in this 2008 production from La Fenice in Venice. Premiering in 1973, Death in Venice is an adaptation of Thomas Mann's titular novella about a famous author named Aschenbach, whose obsession over a beautiful boy he encounters during a trip to Venice causes him to remain in the city despite warnings of a cholera epidemic that eventually claims his life. Tadzio, the object of Aschenbach's affection, represents the emotional Dionysian impulse that the writer has traditionally repressed by looking at everything from analytical Apollonian heights. Britten nicely dramatizes the contrast musically by interspersing Aschenbach's long passages of sung introspection with entirely wordless ballet sequences for Tadzio. Director and costume/set designer Pier Luigi Pizzi creates an elegant physical production in grays, blacks, and silver-blues that cast a ghostly spell. Excellent performances are delivered by Marlin Miller as Aschenbach and Alessandro Riga as Tadzio, even if the former is a bit young (and the latter somewhat old) for the roles, with Scott Hendricks a solid presence who portrays a series of seven characters whom Aschenbach encounters, including a gondolier and a hotel manager. Bruno Bartoletti conducts the score with a softer-grained touch than is usual in performances of Britten. Presented in DTS-HD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo, this Blu-ray debut of a generally enthralling production of this great modern opera is highly recommended. (F. Swietek)