Credits:

Bruno Bartoletti

Description:

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his birth, Brittens (19131976) masterpiece *Death in Venice* is now available on Blu-ray. Based on the novel by Thomas Mann, Death in Venice is often overshadowed by the films powerful imagery, but Brittens opera offers a different perspective on the work. Deep insight and ephemeral beauty, innocence and guilt. By contrasting these elements, the opera attempts to portray the poignant state of mind of the aging novelist, while Taziothe symbol of youthful beautyis expressed solely through dance, rather than song. This performance was recorded at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the setting of the story. The picturesque city to which Aschenbach came with dreams has been deliberately transformed into a decadent and dark city, populated exclusively by eerie and indolent people. Britten did not employ a large cast; aside from the lead roles of Aschenbach and