Death in Venice review – powerfully direct

Garsington Opera at Wormsley
Steuart Bedford, who also conducted the premiere of Britten’s opera in 1973, gets the best from his orchestra, while dancers reveal its dynamism and energyBritten’s last opera, Death in Venice, is also his oddest. Its most remarkable achievement is presenting Aschenbach both as hero and silent narrator: we only see the world through his eyes. It’s a risky strategy: Thomas Mann’s tortured genius can be a pompous ass, who grapples with his frustrated sexuality