''Death in Venice'', Op. 88, is an
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
in two acts by
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
, his last. The opera is based on the
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...
''
Death in Venice
''Death in Venice ''(German: ''Der Tod in Venedig'') is a novella by German author Thomas Mann, published in 1912. It presents an ennobled writer who visits Venice and is liberated, uplifted, and then increasingly obsessed by the sight of a Pol ...
'' by
Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
.
Myfanwy Piper wrote the English
libretto. It was first performed at
Snape Maltings, near
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Aldeb ...
, England, on 16 June 1973.
The often acerbic and severe score is marked by some haunting soundscapes of "ambiguous Venice".
The boy Tadzio is portrayed by a silent dancer, to
gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. ...
-like percussion accompaniment. The music of the opera is precise, direct and movingly understated.
Composition history
Britten had been contemplating the novella for many years and began work in September 1970 with approaches to Piper and to
Golo Mann
Golo Mann (born Angelus Gottfried Thomas Mann; 27 March 1909 – 7 April 1994) was a popular German historian and essayist. Having completed a doctorate in philosophy under Karl Jaspers at Heidelberg, in 1933 he fled Hitler's Germany. He followed ...
, son of the author. Because of agreements between
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...
and the estate of Thomas Mann for the production of
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...
's 1971
film, Britten was advised not to see the movie when it was released.
[Strode, Rosamund "A 'Death in Venice chronicle" in ''Benjamin Britten: Death in Venice.'' (Cambridge opera handbooks), Donald Mitchell, ed., Cambridge University Press, 1987.] According to Colin Graham, director of the first production of the opera, some colleagues of the composer who did see the film found the relationship between Tadzio and Aschenbach "too sentimental and salacious". This contributed to the decision that Tadzio and his family and friends would be portrayed by non-speaking dancers.
[Graham, Colin "The first production" in ''Benjamin Britten: Death in Venice.'' (Cambridge opera handbooks), Donald Mitchell, ed., Cambridge University Press, 1987.] Ian Bostridge
Ian Charles Bostridge CBE (born 25 December 1964) is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
Early life and education
Bostridge was born in London, the son of Leslie Bostridge and Lillian (née Clark). ...
has noted themes in the work of "formalism in art and the perilous dignity of the acclaimed artist".
Roles
Synopsis
:Place:
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
and
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
:Time: 1911
Act 1
''Scene 1: Munich''
Aschenbach, a famous German novelist, is weary and opens the opera bemoaning the fading of his artistic inspiration. As he walks through the suburbs of Munich, he stops before the entrance to a cemetery. He catches sight of a traveller ("from beyond the Alps by his looks") and, musing on the strange and exotic nature of foreign lands, is impulsively moved to travel south in the hope of refreshing his artistic imagination.
''Scene 2: On the Boat to Venice''
He takes a boat to Venice, sharing his passage with a group of libidinous youths and their leader, the Elderly Fop. Aschenbach's discovery that the fop is not young, but old and made-up ("How can they bear that counterfeit; that young-old horror. A wretched lot, a wretched boat") repulses him, and he arrives in Venice dispirited.
''Overture: Venice''
''Scene 3: The Journey to the Lido''
Aschenbach contemplates his arrival by gondola into the city ("What lies in wait for me here, Ambiguous Venice, Where water is married to stone, And passion confuses the senses?"). He intends to go to the
Schiavone, but is taken towards the
Lido by the Old Gondolier, who mutters that "Nobody shall bid me; I go where I choose; I go my own way". A brief argument as to their destination ensues, but the novelist soon capitulates and is taken to the Lido.
''Scene 4: The First Evening at the Hotel''
Aschenbach is greeted by the Hotel Manager, who shows him his room with ingratiating volubility. As the other guests assemble for dinner, Aschenbach watches them pass. His eye is taken by a young Polish boy, Tadzio, in whom he sees unnatural beauty ("Surely the soul of Greece; Lies in that bright perfection; ...Mortal child with more than mortal grace"). Aschenbach is aware of the fatuousness of his thoughts, but allows himself to indulge in his speculations.
''Scene 5: On the Beach''
Reading on the beach, Aschenbach observes Tadzio playing on the sands. He obtains a wry satisfaction from the discovery that Tadzio has flaws: as a Pole, the boy hates the Russian guests ("He is human after all. There is a dark side even to perfection. I like that.").
''Scene 6: The Foiled Departure''
Walking the streets of Venice, Aschenbach is accosted at every turn by beggars, street sellers and others demanding his custom. Seeing rubbish on the streets and smelling the foul water of the canals, he feels nauseated and claustrophobic, and decides that he must leave Venice. Back at the hotel, the Manager expresses his regret over Aschenbach's departure. When Tadzio returns Aschenbach's glances, Aschenbach himself also feels regret. On arriving at the station, Aschenbach finds that his luggage has been sent on the wrong train ("I am furious because I am forced to return, but secretly I rejoice. Vacillating, irresolute, absurd"), and he realises upon seeing Tadzio again that the boy was the cause of his regret at leaving.
''Scene 7: The Games of Apollo''
Aschenbach sits in his chair on the Lido beach, watching Tadzio and his friends play. Aschenbach's thoughts (voiced by the chorus) are of the gods
Phaedra
Phaedra may refer to:
Mythology
* Phaedra (mythology), Cretan princess, daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus
Arts and entertainment
* ''Phaedra'' (Alexandre Cabanel), an 1880 painting
Film
* ''Phaedra'' (film), a 1962 film by ...
,
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
and
Hyacinthus, their actions mirroring those of Tadzio. The boys compete in a variety of sports: running, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling. Tadzio wins conclusively, and Aschenbach is inspired artistically by the boy's beauty, as "...thought becomes feeling, feeling thought". Aschenbach determines to congratulate Tadzio on his victory, but when the opportunity arises, he cannot bring himself to speak. Almost choking on the words, Aschenbach realises the truth: "I – love you."
Act 2
Sitting with a book but distracted by his own thoughts, Aschenbach decides to accept his feeling for the boy as it is, ("ridiculous, but sacred too and no, not dishonourable, even in these circumstances.")
''Scene 8: The Hotel Barber's Shop (i)''
Aschenbach visits the Hotel Barber, who lets slip a mention of a sickness in Venice. Aschenbach questions urgently, but the barber denies that the sickness is of any importance.
''Scene 9: The Pursuit''
As Aschenbach crosses the waters to Venice, he detects the smell of disinfectant. On his arrival, he finds citizens reading public notices warning them to take precautions against infection. The citizens too deny that there is any cause for worry, but Aschenbach finds a graver warning in a German newspaper: "We doubt the good faith of the Venetian city fathers in their refusal to admit to the cases of cholera in the city. German citizens should return as soon as possible". The Polish family appears and Aschenbach determines that they must not find out about the cholera outbreak for fear that they will leave. Aschenbach follows the family to a café, where the mother notices him and moves herself in between Aschenbach and her son. The family moves onward to St Mark's, with Aschenbach still following at a distance. In due course, the family leaves and takes a gondola back to the hotel, with Aschenbach in pursuit and in a state of some excitement ("Tadzio, Eros, charmer, see I am past all fear, blind to danger, drunken, powerless, sunk in the bliss of madness").
''Scene 10: The Strolling Players''
On the hotel terrace after dinner, the guests assemble to watch the players. Aschenbach questions the Leader of the Players about the rumours of plague, but the actor dismisses his suggestions. Aschenbach notices that Tadzio, like himself, is not laughing at the skit, and wonders "Does your innocence keep you aloof, or do you look to me for guidance? Do you look to me?"
''Scene 11: The Travel Bureau''
A young English clerk is dealing with a crowd of hotel guests, all urgently trying to leave Venice. As the clerk closes the bureau, Aschenbach asks him about the plague and is told that the city is in the grip of Asiatic cholera. He advises Aschenbach to leave immediately before a blockade is imposed.
''Scene 12: The Lady of the Pearls''
Aschenbach decides to warn Tadzio's mother of the danger posed to them by the plague, but cannot bring himself to do it. He initially chastises himself for having failed to "make everything decent and above board", but then decides that he was right not to speak out, and idly wonders "What if all were dead, and only we two left alive?"
''Scene 13: The Dream''
Aschenbach dreams of the gods Apollo and
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
, who argue their respective viewpoints of reason and beauty versus chaos and ecstasy. Apollo is overwhelmed and leaves Dionysus to a wild dance. Aschenbach wakes and realises how little of his former intellectual rigour and detachment remains. He is resigned to the change: "Let the gods do what they will with me".
(The music for Apollo in this scene derives from the
First Delphic Hymn, an early Greek melody Britten heard
Arda Mandikian
Arda Mandikian (1 September 1924 – 8 November 2009) was a Greek-Armenian soprano opera singer. Mandikian launched her career in England. She took on leading roles in London and Edinburgh. In the 1980s she became the assistant director of the Gree ...
sing at the 1954
Aldeburgh Festival).
''Scene 14: The Empty Beach''
Aschenbach watches as Tadzio and his friends play a desultory game on the beach; they soon leave.
''Scene 15: The Hotel Barber's Shop (ii)''
Aschenbach declares "Do what you will with me!", and the barber works at beautifying him with make-up and hair dye, extolling the virtues of youthful appearance the while.
''Scene 16: The Last Visit to Venice''
Aschenbach boards a gondola for Venice and sings of its beauty. He realises and mocks his own resemblance to the Elderly Fop. Upon seeing the Polish family ahead of him, Aschenbach follows distractedly. Tadzio detaches himself from the family and waits for Aschenbach, who turns away when the boy looks directly at him. Aschenbach is pleased to notice that Tadzio does not betray his follower's presence to his mother. Alone again, Aschenbach buys strawberries from a street seller, but finds them musty and over-ripe. He sits down, tired and ill, and bitterly mocks himself ("Self-discipline your strength... All folly, all pretence"). He recites a paraphrase of
Plato's dialogue between the old philosopher
Socrates
Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
and the boy
Phaedrus Phaedrus may refer to:
People
* Phaedrus (Athenian) (c. 444 BC – 393 BC), an Athenian aristocrat depicted in Plato's dialogues
* Phaedrus (fabulist) (c. 15 BC – c. AD 50), a Roman fabulist
* Phaedrus the Epicurean (138 BC – c. 70 BC), an Epic ...
, speaking the parts of both man and boy. The subject of the dialogue is the paradoxical, dangerous relationship between the artist and his subject.
''Scene 17: The Departure''
The Hotel Manager and a porter are organising the departure of the last guests, the Polish family among them. Aschenbach inquires as to their time of departure, then leaves to sit on the deserted beach where Tadzio and another boy, Jaschiu, are playing. The game becomes rougher and Jaschiu dominates, pushing Tadzio's face into the sand. In an attempt to assist, Aschenbach tries to get up but is too weak. Jaschiu and the other children run away, leaving Tadzio on the beach alone with Aschenbach. Tadzio beckons the author, but he slumps in his chair. Tadzio continues walking far out to sea.
Film
In 1981,
Tony Palmer
Tony Palmer (born 29 August 1941)[IMDb: Tony Palmer](_blank)
Retrieved 24 September 2011 is a British film direc ...
made a film of the opera, shot in Venice. The Australian tenor
Robert Gard sang the principal role as Peter Pears was too ill, but the other major roles were sung by their creators (
John Shirley-Quirk and
James Bowman), and the
English Chamber Orchestra
The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internation ...
was conducted by the original conductor
Steuart Bedford.
Presto Classical: Death in Venice
Retrieved 23 October 2014
References
Notes
Sources
* Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
* Warrack, John and West, Ewan, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'' New York: OUP: 1992
* Whittall, Arnold, "''Death in Venice''" in Stanley Sadie
Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicology, musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), whi ...
, (ed.), '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Vol. One, pp. 1095–1096. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. 1998
External links
''Death in Venice'' page
from Britten-Pears Foundation site. Includes link to audio file.
Recordings of ''Death in Venice''
operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
{{Authority control
1973 operas
English-language operas
Operas by Benjamin Britten
Operas
Thomas Mann
Operas adapted into films
Operas based on novels
Operas set in Germany
Operas set in Italy
Venice in fiction