Accompanied
by the hypnotic melody of Britten, the tragic musical drama "Death In
Venice" of Gustav von Aschenbach will be performed for the last time
tomorrow evening in the famous Liceu Opera House of Barcelona.
As had imagined Thomas Mann in the original novel, An old writer
pathetically made-up to conceal his decrepitude sighing his last breath
trying to attract the attention, unfruitfully, of the adolescent boy
Tadzio.
The
authors of the stage script had resisted the popular trend of situating
the period of the story in more recent times and contemporary
locations, so Aschenbach dies amid the decadent elegance
of the Lido of Venice in the beginning of the 20th century, as Thomas
Mann decided in 1912, same as Visconti in his film in 1971, and not for
instance, in the Barceloneta of the Hip-Hop era with high-tech settings
of 2008. That film was shown on TV last year and I enjoyed it even
though I had seen it previously at least a couple more times. Dirk
Bogard was absolutely super in this unusual roll.
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Apparently the fidelity to the scenario and the original period of the production in Liceu had not decreased or diminish the emotion of this classic, amongst other dramas, bordering on the sad theme of lost youth. Perhaps it was because of this implicit invocation, on the first night of the premiere half the audience stamped out when the curtains came down, while the other half stayed and applauded during a full 20 minute standing ovation, showing their appreciation of the lavish display of intensity and talents, delighting in the last artificial radiance of the sunset in the Liceu.
Apparently the fidelity to the scenario and the original period of the production in Liceu had not decreased or diminish the emotion of this classic, amongst other dramas, bordering on the sad theme of lost youth. Perhaps it was because of this implicit invocation, on the first night of the premiere half the audience stamped out when the curtains came down, while the other half stayed and applauded during a full 20 minute standing ovation, showing their appreciation of the lavish display of intensity and talents, delighting in the last artificial radiance of the sunset in the Liceu.
The people in a great hurry to run out of the theatre would be those who wished to live the night to the limit, off to a late night supper maybe, or to a discotheque. Showing courtesy and appreciation to the actors, musicians, tech team and the director would, in their reckoning, have been included in the ticket price. It could also be for the very simple reason that they wish to beat the crowd jamming up the exit passage.
Transferring the act of Death in Venice to the 21st century might have been more in keeping with these people who are always in a great hurry, even when enjoying an evening out. With Aschenback transformed to the present day executive of a multinational cultural concern in Barcelona. Instead of relying on the barber or hairdresser, he could check himself into some specialized clinic for hair-transplant and liposuction to stylise his sagging body. His object of desire, Tadzio, could have been a beautiful Brazilian boy, or a stylish DJ he met in Port Vell.
At the end, his dead body could have been taken out on the stretcher sent by 061, instead of alone and forlorn sitting in a chair in the garden, wearing a sad smile and bearing a vague suggestion that even Tadzio would grow old and not so pretty one day. All that should make the play contemporary, but then it should also have a different new name; definitely not Death in Venice.
Current Mood: 
Artistic
Artistic
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