Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. My mind beats on
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Who's that? A foresight
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Hey there, hey there, you!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. 'Serenissima?... Low-lying clouds
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Overture: Venice
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Ah Serenissima!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Mysterious gondola
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. We are delighted to greet the Signore
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. There is indeed in every artist's nature
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. There is indeed in every artist's nature
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Adzi?! Adzi?!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Aou'! Stagando, aou'!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Naturally, Signore, I understand
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. Here I will stay, here deditcate my days
Track Listings (17) - Disc #2
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. First, the race!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 1. The boy, Tadzio, shall inspire me
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. So, it has come to this
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Guardate, Signore!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Do I detect a scent?
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Careful search now leads me to them
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. This way for the players, Signori!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. 'Fiorir rose in mezo al giasso'
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. One moment if you please
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. In these last years
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. So it is true, true
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Receive the stranger god
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Do what you will with me!
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Yes! A very wise decision
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Chaos, chaos and sickness
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. The wind still blows from the land
Death in Venice, opera, Op. 88: Act 2. Ah, no!
Death in Venice was Britten?s last opera and this live recording at the Aldeburgh Festival on June 22, 1973 (the year of its premiere) is an irreplaceable document of one of the greatest 20th-century operas. The title role... more » was composed expressly for Peter Pears, who sings it here.« less
Death in Venice was Britten?s last opera and this live recording at the Aldeburgh Festival on June 22, 1973 (the year of its premiere) is an irreplaceable document of one of the greatest 20th-century operas. The title role was composed expressly for Peter Pears, who sings it here.
CD Reviews
Britten Collectors Take Note!
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 04/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"DEATH IN VENICE is, for many of us who are mesmerized by the genius of Benjamin Britten, one of his finest (some would say it IS his finest) operas. Slowly it is gaining in performances throughout the world and with the recent release of the new recording conducted by Richard Hickox with Philip Langridge and Alan Opie and Michael Chance filling the roles created by Peter Pears, John Shirley-Quirk, and James Bowman, the opera is finding a larger audience. And that is all the more reason to purchase this unbelievably inexpensive re-release of the premiere recording of 1973. For a mere $13.95 the fortunate opera audience can own the original in addition to purchasing the newer Hickox recording.
Recorded live in Snape Maltings Hall at the Aldeburgh Festival, this recording is of great importance in that it is untainted by time and criticism. Here is the whole of Thomas Mann's novella made musical with all the minimal stagecraft and musical forces Britten so wisely opted for in this his last opera. Peter Pears may have been past his vocal prime when this recording was made, but Britten took that into account, emphasizing all the fine points (and there were many that were still very much intact) and avoiding the areas of the voice that might have been troublesome. His von Aschenbach is the model of a tortured man longing for the sensual love of the perfection of beauty as embodied by the Polish lad Tadzio (a mute part performed by a dancer). And John Shirley-Quirk fills all the roles of von Aschenbach's nemeses to perfection. The orchestral playing is moody and elegiac, bringing us into the waters around Venice and the Lido and the dank and tepid paths of a city under siege by disease. The performance is outstanding on every level.
Yes, the new recording mentioned above may be superior in the strengths gained by time and thought that allow Hickox to breathe his own life into the drama of the work, and it is well worth the price attached. But for the true lover of Britten's music this re-mastered release is a real bonus. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 06
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1