Britten’s final opera Death in Venice is a dark, restrained work. It may not have had the immediate success of say Peter Grimes, but as tenor Ian Bostridge describes: ‘its brilliant sound-worlds, its compelling musico-dramatic use of endlessly varied and reconfigured thematic material, its melodic invention - make Death in Venice perhaps Britten’s greatest opera.’ The opera contains many of the underlying dramatic themes that characterise Britten’s music; and as his final operatic creation, it is a fitting and glorious summation of his life’s work.
In June English National Opera will revive its acclaimed 2007 production with director Deborah Warner and conductor Edward Gardner. The same production then travels to Netherlands Opera in July for a series of performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. A new production by director Alvaro Schoeck will be staged at the Pfalztheater, Kaiserslautern, Germany in June. And in the autumn Opera North (who must take the record for performing four of Britten’s operas in one year) will take Death in Venice on tour to Leeds, Newcastle, Salford, Nottingham and Aldeburgh. Finally, December sees the Russian premiere of the work at the Moscow Conservatory with a cast including Ian Bostridge and Iestyn Davies.
In June English National Opera will revive its acclaimed 2007 production with director Deborah Warner and conductor Edward Gardner. The same production then travels to Netherlands Opera in July for a series of performances with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. A new production by director Alvaro Schoeck will be staged at the Pfalztheater, Kaiserslautern, Germany in June. And in the autumn Opera North (who must take the record for performing four of Britten’s operas in one year) will take Death in Venice on tour to Leeds, Newcastle, Salford, Nottingham and Aldeburgh. Finally, December sees the Russian premiere of the work at the Moscow Conservatory with a cast including Ian Bostridge and Iestyn Davies.
Death in Venice scores are available to buy on our website: Vocal Score, Full Score & Libretto