by InTrieste
Seventy years after its world premiere at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw is returning to the Italian stage with a new production led by the Conservatorio Giuseppe Tartini in Trieste. Based on the haunting novella by Henry James, Britten’s 1954 opera remains one of the most original and psychologically complex works in the contemporary chamber repertoire.
Premiered at the XVII Festival of Contemporary Music, the opera was commissioned by the festival and marked a significant moment in Britten’s career. Set in a secluded English country house, the story follows a young governess tasked with caring for two orphaned children, Miles and Flora. As the narrative unfolds, a chilling psychological tension emerges — something Britten captured with masterful restraint through a chamber orchestra of just 14 solo instruments. The result is a sonic tapestry of mystery and emotion that has long fascinated audiences and scholars alike.
Now, the Conservatorio Tartini has taken up the challenge of staging a full-scale production of The Turn of the Screw, in collaboration with the Orchestra Filarmonica of the Teatro Verdi in Trieste. The project brings together the Conservatory’s vocal students, under the guidance of professors Cinzia De Mola, Manuela Kriscak, and Paoletta Marrocu, and the conducting class led by Marco Angius, a prominent figure in the contemporary music scene. The production also includes the Tartini instrumental ensemble and four musicians from the Verdi Philharmonic.
“This is a bold and ambitious initiative,” said Sandro Torlontano, director of the Conservatorio Tartini. “It offers a crucial opportunity for some of our most talented students to engage with a complex work, while also serving as a meaningful benchmark for the quality of our academic programs.”
The production will premiere on Thursday, May 8, at 8:45 p.m. in the Victor De Sabata Ridotto Hall of the Teatro Verdi. The performance is not only a showcase of emerging talent but also a tribute to one of the 20th century’s most enigmatic operatic works — a story of innocence, ambiguity, and the lingering presence of the unseen.
