Henry James' short story The Turn of the Screw is certainly more than just a beautifully spine-chilling gothic story. In his musical rendering, Britten succeeds in masterfully portraying the fateful relationships of the characters involved: by varying the main theme of his opera he heightens the drama of the action gradually, creating a deep psychological study of the supposed gothic story. This recording is of the Schwetzinger music festival in a co-production with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, London, and the Opera of Cologne in 1990. The Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart played under the direction of Steuart Bedford, an expert in Britten's orchestral language. "The difficult demands of this work were met to a great extent by Michael Hampe with the support of John Gunter's atmospheric sketches in yellowed, black and white imagery. [.] The casting of the main characters was first class in every respect. [.] In the end the production team and the ensemble had every right to celebrate a great success." (J.M. Wienecke, Das Opernglas)

Cast:
Helen Field, Menai Davies, Richard Greager, Phyllis Cannan, Machiko Obata, Samuel Linay
Orchestra, Chorus:
Radio Symphonieorchester Stuttgart
Conductor: Stuart Bedford
Stage Director: Michael Hampe
Recording Date: 1990
Recording Place: Schwetzinger Festspiele

The Royal Opera House and the Opera of Cologne perform a co-production of Britten's opera at the Schwetzinger Festspiele in 1990. The soloists include Menai Davies, Helen Field, Richard Greager and Machiko Obata. Steuart Bedford conducts the Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart.