Everything about this evening seemed to me faultless and splendid. The singing, particularly the lead part by Mark Padmore which involved an almost constant presence on stage was complemented in its majesty by the dancing led by Leo Dixon. The orchestra under Richard Farnes received deserved extended cheers at the close and if only the audience could have got their lungs on the designer of the sets (Vicki Mortimer) more cheers would have surely ensued.
Then we are left with the story. This tale of the homoerotic musings of an ageing German writer frankly seems to me rather thin and inconsequential. He goes to Venice in the hope of refreshment; his eyes set on a teenage Polish boy for whom he declares 'love' at the end of the first act - despite never having exchanged a word. Then in the second act he prepares to leave and not leave with the backdrop of a cholera epidemic in the lagoon. Apart from musing on the folly of lust - homo or hetero - I'm not really sure what were the takeaways. Still, it was a great vehicle for all those involved to display their talents.
