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Innocence Abused

Britten's 'Death
in Venice' -
reviewed by
ROBERT ANDERSON

'... Britten conjures weird and wonderful sounds from his orchestra ...'

Britten: Death in Venice. © 2014 Opus Arte

Thomas Mann's story is undoubtedly a Tale Unpleasant. In his operas Britten usually concerned himself with innocence abused, whether it be Grimes's boy, Lucretia, Budd, or the youngsters in The Turn of the Screw. Here it is to some extent the same again. The ageing writer, obsessed with the beautiful young Polish lad, fails to alert the mother that cholera has broken out in Venice, though most of the European guests are obviously departing in some haste...

Copyright © 30 April 2014 Robert Anderson,
London UK

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BRITTEN: DEATH IN VENICE

BENJAMIN BRITTEN

JOHN GRAHAM-HALL

ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA

EDWARD GARDNER

OPUS ARTE

LONDON

UNITED KINGDOM

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