main navigation bar - top row
main navigation bar - bottom row
Performances &
Events
The Rake's Progress
An dramatic opera
Music by Igor Stravinsky
Libretto by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman
Abandoning home & fiancée in search of his fortune, an adventurer finds that debauchery and corruption are fun for only so long.
Sung in English with projected supertitles
March 22-25, 2012
University Opera Theatre & University Philharmonia Orchestra
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
Overview
The Story: A callow young man, Tom Rakewell, is convinced that good fortune will simply come his way. His loving fiancée Anne Trulove stands by him, but her father is not so easily swayed. When a mysterious stranger, Nick Shadow, announces that Tom has inherited a fortune from an unknown relative, Tom willfully abandons Anne and sets off to London. Once there, the gullible Tom is lured by Shadow into a life of debauchery. As each incident leads to increased unhappiness and deepening humiliation, Tom is unable to bring himself to return to Anne, even though she attempts to save him. When the devilish Shadow offers him a way out, Tom finds himself in a game of chance with extraordinarily high stakes.
Background: Igor Stravinsky is considered to be one of the most influential composers of 20th century music. His only full-length opera, The Rake’s Progress, which premiered in 1951, was inspired by a series of engravings by English painter William Hogarth. Collaborating with poets W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman, Stravinksy infused the score with his own signature neo-classical approach while paying homage to the works of Mozart, Handel, and Verdi. Musicologist Gunther Schuller described the opera as “an extraordinary love affair with harmony… ravishingly beautiful sounds, filtered and savored by one of the greatest musical ears of all time.” Featuring a melodic score paired with a witty libretto The Rake’s Progress is a cautionary tale about a life of indulgence.
Artistic Staff
| Director | Robert Swedberg |
| Conductor | Martin Katz |
| Scenic Designer | Russ Jones |
| Costume Designer | Christianne Myers |
| Lighting Designer | Charles Malott |
| Sound Designer | Roger Arnett |
| Wig Designer | Erin Kennedy Lunsford |
| Stage Manager | Kelsy Durkin |
Resources
Listen to song samples on iTunes.
Photos
Click here to view photos from The Rake's Progress
Program
main navigation bar - top row
main navigation bar - bottom row
Contact Webmaster: music.webmaster@umich.edu
© 2006 - 2013 The Regents of the University of Michigan
