The Rake’s Progress, Opera by I. Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky was not shy about picking controversial and fantastical subjects for his classical works. He was also an avid art fan and seeing a series of William Hogarth’s 18th-century engravings and paintings gave him a wonderful musical idea: an opera about the Devil luring an unsuspecting man into a life of depravity and madness. Thus, The Rake’s Progress was born. Its music and its tale are powerful and relevant today as they were at its glorious premiere at Teatro La Fenice in Venice on 11 September 1951. An American debut followed in 1953 at the famed Metropolitan Opera, with the great George Balanchine as producer. The Rome Opera House brings The Rake’s Progress to its stage this season and puts Stravinsky’s genius on full display.
Hogarth’s art inspired the composer, but he still needed a proper libretto. For this, he turned to his contemporaries, the poets W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, whose verses complement Stravinsky’s full-blooded score marvellously. Powerful arias such as ‘Come, master, observe the host of mankind’, ‘I burn! I freeze’, ‘No word from Tom’, or ‘Love Too Frequently Betrayed’ convey the full emotional range and stand out with their finely tuned dramatism.
The Rake’s Progress introduces us to its protagonist Tom Rakewell who impulsively abandons his fiancée Anne Trulove to pursue various depraved escapades around London. The reason for his sudden downfall is Nick Shadow, a merry friend who reveals himself to be the devil. As Tom and Nick get themselves into increasingly insane situations and meet ever more fantastical characters, the battle for Tom’s immortal soul becomes imminent. Man and devil face each other in a game of cards that will decide everything. Will chance favour the fallen and beguiled Tom, and will Anne find it in herself to forgive his wrongdoings? At Rome’s Teatro Costanzi, Stravinsky’s moral story and outstanding music make The Rake’s Progress a thrilling experience.