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Synopsis
Igor Stravinsky was inspired by William Hogarth's sequence of anecdotal pictures The Rake's Progress to compose this three-act opera which charts the rise and fall of Tom Rakewell after inheriting an unexpected legacy. The libretto is by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallmann and follows an eighteenth-century operatic structure, with separate arias, ensembles and choruses linked by recitative. Recorded live from the Salzburg Festival, this striking production is the result of a collaboration between stage director Peter Mussbach and the leading German artist Jorg Immendorff, whose spectacular, self-referential and humorous designs were hailed as a triumph. At the core of an exceptionally fine musical performance is Jerry Hadley, who charts Tom Rakewell's swift disillusion with extreme skill. Soprano Dawn Upshaw is superb as Anne, Tom's faithful model, and Monte Pederson makes a devilish Nick Shadow, an underworld heavy in a pinstripe suit. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Camerata Academica. 1996. 156 minutes.
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Review
Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress occupies two worlds. The story, the ironically moralizing attitudes, and many musical and verbal details are inspired by the 18th century. But it is modern in rhythm and harmony and in its psychology--Freudianism and existentialism in a powdered wig. Each production must find its own balance between these polarities, and this crisp, stylish treatment, taped at the Salzburg Festival in 1996, leans heavily toward modernity. The Faustian story of ne'er-do-well Tom Rakewell is told in symbols from its beginning (when he succumbs instantly to the temptations of the diabolical Nick Shadow) to the final mad scene. The props include a small, earthbound airplane, signifying Tom's flights of fancy, and some supernumeraries wearing ape costumes and capering about, symbolizing perhaps his obsessions. The costumes are modern: Tom in a T-shirt, Anne Trulove (his fiancée) in a dress so simple it looks like a slip, Nick in a mafia-style pinstripe suit. Designer Jorg Immendorff, a prominent German painter, is ingenious and self-indulgent in his staging. He portrays Tom as an artist not unlike himself. But if ever an opera had its visual elements clearly prescribed, it is The Rake's Progress--inspired by a set of engravings by William Hogarth that have no resemblance to Immendorff's staging.
There have been first-class productions that respected Hogarth's vision. One of them is sure to find its way to home video eventually, and those who are upset by visual tampering with an opera's original concept might want to wait. But the Salzburg audience applauds it thoroughly in this production. Stravinsky's music is well handled. Jerry Hadley brings both pathos and humor to the title role, Dawn Upshaw puts a lot of personality into the rather bland, goody-goody role of Anne, and they have an expert supporting cast. --Joe McLellan
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Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress
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