This was most interesting in all respects. I found the first part of Act 1 heavy going and wondered if it would sustain me but once in Venice and Von A sees family and Tadzio somehow ‘took off’. This was not in spectacular way, certainly musically and not really in terms of production but it just became quietly gripping and involving. And I had not realized what an enormous part was written for Von A! he is very rarely if ever offstage
It was a visually simple production – the sea was a permanent feature and I liked way from start there were often one or more figures standing looking out at the sea, foreshadowing the famous final image.
The ballet/opera combo worked (unlike Glass!) and I recently realized makes absolute dramatic sense to have two different art forms to show the unbridgeable emotional distance between Von A and Tadzio. And of course, you can’t sing ballet or dance opera.
The soundscape was weirdly intriguing and would I am sure, repay much more careful listening on disc where one could perceive the subtleties much more effectively than on one hearing in the theatre. To my inexpert eyes there were few if any ‘classical’ ballet moves which helped to make the use of the art form and format that much more effective – and only very occasionally were they a little trite, as with the ‘games’ sequence – but it is tricky to know how else you could do that scene.
A very fine performance in which all the elements came together in the service of the work.