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Fabulous premiere of Demis Volpi’s production of Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice last night, a coproduction by Stuttgart Ballet and Stuttgart Opera. .... This being a coproduction, I've been in two minds as to whether I might better post this in the performances or the opera section. I saw the piece last night based on the dance elements so I've gone with the performances thread. No Venetian sights – instead, semi-transparent walls made from plexiglass and in various formations illustrate the labyrinth-like structure of Venice (sets and costumes by Katharina Schlipf). Depending on the lighting, the walls are more or less see-through, reminiscent of foggy weather. No Venetian gondolas either – instead, racks that are used in hotels to move luggage and clothes serve as means of passenger transport across the city, moved along by staff as if they were ice-skating – pushing one foot off the ground and keeping the leg in arabesque, transforming this into a dance-like sequence. Dancing for Apollo (David Moore last night; Marti Fernandez Paixa in a later cast), Tadzio, his mother, his brothers and sisters, and his friends on the beach. Students of the John Cranko School play Tadzio (Gabriel Figueredo, superb), his brothers/ sisters and friends. Clever use of stacks of books throughout. At the start, Aschenbach (Matthias Klink, truly fascinating; massive ovations for him at the end) lies amongst the stacks of books/ stands on them when he describes his dissatisfaction with his situation and then tears up the pages of a book before he leaves for Venice. Some of these books are subsequently used as passenger seating for a gondola, other books are used for the boys’ games on the beach (throwing and catching books as one might do with sports equipment), still others as stepping stones for Aschenbach on the beach - as if part of Aschenbach's previous life is gradually disintegrating. Apollo appears as statue with golden hair, a golden waist cloth and golden spray paint along the body, every inch the physical ideal, moving through a number of positions known from classical statues. What is reality, what is illusion? Based on what I remember from reading Thomas Mann’s book last summer (please flag if my memory is playing tricks), there is no direct interaction between Tadzio and Aschenbach (they just look at each other), between Tadzio and Apollo, or between Aschenbach and Apollo (Apollo appears in a dream). The staging last night took these aspects further and transformed what I remember as being imagined and/ or longed for by Aschenbach into something that looked real (or real in Aschenbach’s mind?). Aschenbach participates in the boys’ beach games – Tadzio throws a book at Aschenbach which the latter catches; later on, they align their hands on either side of one of the semi-transparent walls. Apollo dances around Aschenbach, the latter is entranced by his looks and movements, and he later takes up yoga and attempts to do some dancing himself. Apollo coordinates the boys’ beach games, helps Tadzio win the games and passes on his golden crown to him. The boys climb onto the water lily-like pedestal on which Apollo stands following the games, they all stand behind each other, and together they become Shiva, moving its multiple arms in coordinated fashion. Towards the end, when the cholera is present, most tourists have left Venice, Aschenbach knows about the danger and yet continues to expose himself to it, the Apollo statue has toppled and rolls along the floor. It is picked up by hotel staff and remains initially unstable. Aschenbach’s counterpart (Georg Nigl, brilliant in his various incarnations) rubs sun cream on Apollo’s arms, and they transform from a statue to human being. Finally, Apollo takes the bottle of sun cream and simply walks off stage … the physical ideal has disintegrated and disappeared. Aschenbach dies of cholera not soon thereafter. Long and thunderous applause last night. Picture gallery here https://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/schedule/2017-05-07/death-in-venice/images/

With the London Christmas shows now finished, over in Antwerp the Royal Ballet of Flanders have a Nutcracker premiere this evening in a non-traditional new version by choreographer Demis Volpi: http://uk.reuters.com/video/2016/01/23/royal-ballet-of-flanders-showcases-moder?videoId=367152141&videoChannel=81 And his Flowers certainly look different: http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/videozone/nieuws/cultuurenmedia/1.2554376