Death in Venice

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The Hamburg Ballett performs this "danse macabre" by John Neumeier — based on the novella by Thomas Mann and music by J.S. Bach and R. Wagner — at the Theater an der Wien!
Thomas Mann wrote his novella Death in Venice in 1911/12 after he had spent a summer there. Its publication caused a huge scandal since it made mention of a topic that was absolutely taboo: a man’s love for a youth. The relationship between the writer von Aschenbach and the young Tadzio shakes the protagonist to the core, even though it is only platonic or at most voyeuristic in nature. Von Aschenbach does not exchange even a single word with Tadzio. He is so overcome by his fascination and the strength of his feelings that he passively submits to the cholera that will kill him.
John Neumeier uses music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Richard Wagner to present his own perspective on this work of world literature. "What fascinates me about Thomas Mann’s text is what I interpret as a description of absolute love. Tadzio is the trigger that causes the man von Aschenbach to be confronted with his other side. His dignity meant everything to him, he even owed his title to his work. In my ballet von Aschenbach is a master choreographer. He initially fights his emotions and finds a purely artistic justification for his fascination, but ultimately he has to yield to them. And this complete surrender means his Death in Venice."

Choreography John Neumeier
Stage Design Peter Schmidt
Costume Design John Neumeier & Peter Schmidt
Piano Elizabeth Cooper

A new production at the Theater an der Wien.