"In a 20-page section...there are explicit references to: The Magic Mountain, John Cheever, Death in Venice, Donald Barthelme, Raymond Carver, Hawthorne and Death of a Salesman, " he wrote.

BBC: By Nightfall jacket

But this year, the cities of Leipzig, where Wagner was born, and Bayreuth, where he built his shrine (the Festspielhaus) and was laid to rest (notwithstanding his death in Venice), have joined forces to showcase them as a series.

WSJ: Richard Wagner's 'Orphans' | By Matthew Gurewitsch

Britten created a remarkable musical catalog, from operas like "Billy Budd, " "Peter Grimes" and "Death in Venice" to orchestral, choral and solo works, establishing him as one of the leading lights of the 20th century all the while bucking the tide of trendy experimentation.

WSJ: The Sounds of Sacrifice | Benjamin Britten | War Requiem | Masterpiece by Stuart Isacoff

While it is not known for sure whether Britten ever became sexually involved with any of the boys whom he befriended throughout his adult life, his final opera, a stage version of Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" (1973), has been interpreted as a not-so-veiled apologia for those who feel similar desires.

WSJ: Benjamin Britten | Known but Not Loved | Sightings by Terry Teachout

Though he gained some prominence before his death in 2007, including an inclusion in the 2003 Venice Biennale, it's unlikely he was ever completely aware that he was on the road to recognition as a contemporary artist.

BBC: Calligraphic graffiti in Hong Kong