Death and the Maiden

This is a very engrossing interpretation of the famous string quartet Death and the Maiden, by German romantic composer Franz Schubert. I came across it one morning after just waking up and turning on my TV to watch the Bejing Olympics, found this story being told of a young maiden being visited by a handsome man who is actually the Angel of Death, and who has come to take her away, much to her distress. Done to the music of the quartet, with only the movements and gestures of the actors' bodies telling the story, I found myself quite caught up in the very European flavour of this CBC production, and curious as I watched Death fall in love with the maiden so that he ends up not taking her after all, but seduces her, leaving her bearing his child. An interesting twist to a character we so often see portrayed as ugly and frightening, a bringer of only sadness. A must see for lovers of quality performing arts dramas, and those who love Schubert's beautiful quartet.