Britten - Death in Venice (Naxos)

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Benjamin Britten’s desire to create a substantial leading role for his long-term professional and personal partner, Peter Pears, was the impetus for writing his final opera, Death in Venice. Britten’s intricate and chamber-like score features prominent roles for percussion, which enhances the growing sense of unease and obsession so prevalent in the opera. The stylised staging by director Willy Decker and set designer Wolfgang Gussmann is full of erotic tension and seductive elegance, resulting in a visually enticing show, full of powerful images and symbols that evolve organically as the drama unfolds. Admired for his versatility, range and dramatic power, the British tenor John Daszak dominates in the main role of Gustav von Aschenbach for which he received critical acclaim. The cast also includes the baritones Duncan Rock and Leigh Melrose, and the Polish actor Tomasz Borczyk in the role of Tadzio.