Great Britten: Death in Venice returns to Covent Garden

By Mark Pullinger, 22 November 2019

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“Mark Padmore gave a towering central performance as Gustav von Aschenbach”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 21 November 2019

Britten, Death in Venice

The Royal Opera

Richard Farnes, Conductor

Sir David McVicar, Director

Vicki Mortimer, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Mark Padmore, Gustav von Aschenbach

Gerald Finley, Traveller/ Elderly fop/ Old gondolier/ Hotel manager/ Hotel barber/ Leader of the players/ Voice of Dionysus

Tim Mead, Voice of Apollo

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Lace seller

Rosie Aldridge, Nurse-governess

Amanda Baldwin, Russian mother

Rebecca Evans, Strawberry seller

Hanna Hipp, German mother

Sam Furness, Glassmaker

Colin Judson, Hotel porter

Byeong-Min Gil, Boatman

Dominic Sedgwick, English clerk

Dominic Barrand, Russian father

Leo Dixon, Tadzio

Elizabeth Weisberg, Danish Lady

Katy Batho, English Lady

Elizabeth McGorian, Dancer

Olly Bell, Dancer

Paule Constable, Lighting Designer

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Great Britten: Death in Venice returns to Covent Garden in superb new staging