Death in Venice is perhaps not an operatic great, and there are Britten operas that linger longer in the memory. But that is not to dismiss it in any way, because it is still very interesting and has great music(though admittedly Britten's music is an acquired taste). Pier Luigi Pizzi's production of Death in Venice is very well done, the productions with Robert Tear and Robert Gard as Aschenbach are superior(subjectively of course), but what really matters is whether it is a worthy production rather than whether it is the best version on DVD and this certainly is.
Visually, it is really quite striking. Pizzi doesn't always work for me, he is a very experienced director and designer but while he has some good ideas they doesn't always translate or mesh well(though I don't think they've ever completely disgraced the opera in question though). Death in Venice is actually an example of an opera where his style is suited to. The costumes are modern but don't interfere with the period too much and the sets catch the eye very effectively, loved the marble hotel setting. And the stage directing is coherent with a strong atmosphere that never ignores the thematic richness that the story of Death in Venice has.
Musically, the production is also excellent. The orchestral playing is lush with plenty of style and musicianship, not only that but there is a evident love of Britten's music which always helps you enjoy the experience more. Bruno Bartoletti has also been in the opera business for a long time. Knowing him best from his exemplary conducting for the 1976 film of Tosca(others will find different productions/recordings where they remember him best from though), he has always come across to me as a highly authoritative and intelligent conductor, able to get from the orchestra dynamics of gleaming beauty and elegant legato phrases. He gets that here exactly in an appropriately refined reading, subdued also but I liked that.
The chorus do perform well. They are animated and sing with a lovely beautifully blended sound. Unfortunately they suffer from the worst of pretty much the only asset of the production that seemed wrong, the accents. I admire that they were trying to sound Italian for authenticity, but part of me feels that they didn't really succeed on that front. The accents here are so strong to the extent that you are not sure what language they were supposed to sing or speak in, but it sure didn't sound like English. It wasn't just the Chorus though, to some extent there were times where Marlin Miller's Aschenbach was the one person left unscathed.
And you can't talk about an opera production without mentioning the performances. Marlin Miller is quite a young Aschenbach, but he performs the role with such sincerity and class that that doesn't matter in the slightest. Only the occasional bit of hoarseness lets him down. Does he compare favourably with Robert Tear and Robert Gard? It is hard and perhaps unfair to say as both men were older and more experienced(neither man though in the role were as good as Peter Pears, nor would you expect them to be), what matters more really is whether Miller did a good job and in my mind yes he did. Scott Hendricks, like Alan Opie and John Shirley-Quirk before him, takes on the numerous baritone roles. He's not quite on the same level as the other two, but he has a very appealing voice and contrasts his roles very effectively, being appropriately sly and menacing when needed.
The Tadzio of Alessandro Riga is very well performed also, the youthfulness and athleticism he has certainly help. The video directing, apart from a few odd shots of Bartoletti and the orchestra, is unobtrusive and deliciously moody, and the sound is crisp and clear. So all in all, very solid and well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Visually, it is really quite striking. Pizzi doesn't always work for me, he is a very experienced director and designer but while he has some good ideas they doesn't always translate or mesh well(though I don't think they've ever completely disgraced the opera in question though). Death in Venice is actually an example of an opera where his style is suited to. The costumes are modern but don't interfere with the period too much and the sets catch the eye very effectively, loved the marble hotel setting. And the stage directing is coherent with a strong atmosphere that never ignores the thematic richness that the story of Death in Venice has.
Musically, the production is also excellent. The orchestral playing is lush with plenty of style and musicianship, not only that but there is a evident love of Britten's music which always helps you enjoy the experience more. Bruno Bartoletti has also been in the opera business for a long time. Knowing him best from his exemplary conducting for the 1976 film of Tosca(others will find different productions/recordings where they remember him best from though), he has always come across to me as a highly authoritative and intelligent conductor, able to get from the orchestra dynamics of gleaming beauty and elegant legato phrases. He gets that here exactly in an appropriately refined reading, subdued also but I liked that.
The chorus do perform well. They are animated and sing with a lovely beautifully blended sound. Unfortunately they suffer from the worst of pretty much the only asset of the production that seemed wrong, the accents. I admire that they were trying to sound Italian for authenticity, but part of me feels that they didn't really succeed on that front. The accents here are so strong to the extent that you are not sure what language they were supposed to sing or speak in, but it sure didn't sound like English. It wasn't just the Chorus though, to some extent there were times where Marlin Miller's Aschenbach was the one person left unscathed.
And you can't talk about an opera production without mentioning the performances. Marlin Miller is quite a young Aschenbach, but he performs the role with such sincerity and class that that doesn't matter in the slightest. Only the occasional bit of hoarseness lets him down. Does he compare favourably with Robert Tear and Robert Gard? It is hard and perhaps unfair to say as both men were older and more experienced(neither man though in the role were as good as Peter Pears, nor would you expect them to be), what matters more really is whether Miller did a good job and in my mind yes he did. Scott Hendricks, like Alan Opie and John Shirley-Quirk before him, takes on the numerous baritone roles. He's not quite on the same level as the other two, but he has a very appealing voice and contrasts his roles very effectively, being appropriately sly and menacing when needed.
The Tadzio of Alessandro Riga is very well performed also, the youthfulness and athleticism he has certainly help. The video directing, apart from a few odd shots of Bartoletti and the orchestra, is unobtrusive and deliciously moody, and the sound is crisp and clear. So all in all, very solid and well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox
