| Description |
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Venice was a city very dear to Britten; quite apart from the setting and sounds evoked in his last opera (premièred at Snape Maltings in 1973) it was one of the few places away from Suffolk where he could work. He notated the bells of St Mark’s in situ when working on Death in Venice, for which Myfanwy Piper provided her last libretto for the composer. A selection of sketches for the opera, including some for the actual cloths used, was produced as a portfolio of eight screenprints in an edition of 70 but Piper retained an additional ten sets as ‘hors commerce’. The first of these artist’s proof sets from which this print is taken was presented to Britten on his 60th birthday, 22 November 1973, by the Pipers.
Screenprint, signed: 77 x 68.5 cm. Mounted, framed, glazed:
95.5 x 84.5 cm. [GB-ALb 5–9400307] |
