Death in Venice - Britten
Thu 23 Nov 2006, 7:30pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Richard Hickox conductor
Philip Langridge tenor
Alan Opie baritone
William Towers countertenor
Philharmonia Voices
Kenneth Richardson, Stage Director
| Britten | Death in Venice |
|---|
Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and the Prince & Princess of Hesse and the Rhine, Venice, 1956. Photograph courtesy of The Britten-Pears Library, Aldeburgh.
"The fascinating thing about all the many operas of Benjamin Britten is that none are like any other. Each opera very much has its own character. This, of course, stems so much from the fact that Britten was a master in choosing wonderful texts.
Thomas Mann's Death in Venice is a prime example of Britten setting a wonderful text and finding a unique sound world for it. His long experience of Balinese instruments - the gamelan etc. - used in a fairly early work, his ballet The Prince of Pagodas, is used to exotic effect in this colourful score, played with just 37 instrumentalists, but conjuring up quite unique sounds and colours.
The opera is a tour-de-force for two soloists - Aschenbach himself, sung by Philip Langridge, without doubt the world's leading interpreter of this role. And the traveller, sung by the wonderful Alan Opie, whose role is made up of multiple characters, and demands the utmost skill in characterization - something at which Opie is a past master. The voice of Apollo is sung by a counter tenor and all the other roles are taken, as Britten intended, from members of the chorus - in this case, the exciting and young Philharmonia Voices." Richard Hickox
Listen to sound clips from Britten's Death in Venice.
Read the full synopsis of Death in Venice
Click here to read Richard Hickox's biography.
The Philharmonia Orchestra is very grateful to Venice in Peril, the British Committee for the Preservation of Venice, for their help in publicizing this event.
Please note that areas a, b, e,f g, & h in the Queen Elizabeth Hall are now sold out for this concert.
recommended recordings:
Britten Death in Venice
Philip Langridge, Alan Opie, et al/City of London Sinfonia/Richard Hickox
Chandos CHAN 10280(2)
Peter Pears, John Shirley-Quirk, et al/English Chamber Orchestra/Steuart Bedford
Decca 425 669-2
Britten War Requiem
Soloists/choruses/Philharmonia Orchestra/Carlo Maria Giulini & Benjamin Britten
BBC Legends BBCL 4046-2
Britten The Holy Sonnets of John Donne; Sonnets of Michelangelo; Winter Words
Philip Langridge & Steuart Bedford (piano)
Naxos 8.557201
Folksong arrangements (arr. Britten)
Peter Pears & Benjamin Britten (piano)
Decca 476 1976-2
Also This Evening:
