The Rake's Progress
Story & Setting:
A series of 18th century paintings served as the inspiration for Stravinsky's opera. After a literal deal with the devil, the title "rake," or man whose life has devolved into debauchery, suffers the consequences of his actions, and his soul is saved only by the true love of his fiancée.
Opera Notes:
Dubbed the final opera in Stravinsky's neoclassical period, this work includes form and style influences of Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti, but with far more adventurous harmonies and at times atonal melodies. Stravinsky himself is quoted as saying "“Can a composer reuse the past and, at the same time, forge ahead?"
Sung in
English
Length:
3 hours & 15 minutes
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Watch/Listen
"Here I stand" (Alek Shrader)
Pittsburgh Opera
"He loves me still" (Miah Persson, Elena Manistina, Graham Clark)
Glyndebourne Opera