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In this celebrated Glyndebourne Festival production, David Hockneys designs for director John Cox reinterpret the Hogarth etchings that inspired the operas libretto, written for Stravinsky by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman. In 2010, this revival under Glyndebournes Music Director, Vladimir Jurowski, captured the operas neo-classical spirit and its juxtaposition of whimsy, cynicism and compassion, prompting the Financial Times to call it, as enjoyable a performance of Stravinskys opera as any that has come along"".
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Rake'S Progress
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Keris Nine
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray
Few productions seem so perfectly matched and strike such a perfect balance between the intentions of the opera work and its presentation on the stage as David Hockney's designs for the classic Glyndebourne production of Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. The measure of the success of the production is that it was first put on at Glyndebourne in 1975 and, as this 2010 performance at the festival shows, it is still delighting and wowing audiences thirty-five years later and will no doubt continue to be revived for many more years. There aren't many productions that have that kind of staying power. A modern artist surely not to everyone's taste, one might expect something relatively avant-garde from David Hockney when called upon to design the set for a 20th century opera, but in reality, his approach almost perfectly mirrors Stravinsky's method of composition for The Rake's Progress. Seeking inspiration directly from the source of William Hogarth original drawings made in the 1730s, Hockney's sets reproduce the intricate cross-hatching in bold, colourful strokes on flat board backdrops - a modern interpretation of a classical design.
It works so well because, after all, that's exactly what Stravinsky's opera does also. Composed in 1951, the composer working in the neo-classical form (before he moved on to serial composition), The Rake's Progress accordingly plays to the conventions of the 18th century opera. Classically structured into three acts, with three scenes in each, Stravinsky's 20th century composition even uses recitative with harpsichord continuo and da capo arias in his treatment of a subject that has many resonances with Mozart's operas.... Read more ›
It works so well because, after all, that's exactly what Stravinsky's opera does also. Composed in 1951, the composer working in the neo-classical form (before he moved on to serial composition), The Rake's Progress accordingly plays to the conventions of the 18th century opera. Classically structured into three acts, with three scenes in each, Stravinsky's 20th century composition even uses recitative with harpsichord continuo and da capo arias in his treatment of a subject that has many resonances with Mozart's operas.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Greetings from the high desert of Southern California! This title is not available in the U.S. Happily this disc is "All Region" and I could order it directly from Amazon UK. It is a pity that the best production of Stravinsky's one opera should not be available here since it was composed in Los Angeles, California, USA.
This production respects the composer's intentions in every way. The sets reflect the 18th century paintings that inspired the piece and are especially well served by Blu Ray high definition. The period costumes are beautifully designed to draw the characters into the sets, or "pictures", and are a delight to look at.
(This certainly is an improvement over the other Blu Ray offering of this piece that sets the piece in modern day Texas complete with cattle and oil barrons! I couldn't watch - it was such a contradiction to the music and to the mood of the piece. I'm sure the production team for that production thought they were being very clever - but they succeeded only in confusing and confounding their audience!)
The singers in this production are also a delight - to see as well as to hear. The characters are young, compulsive and enthusiastic, so it is wonderful to have singers who bring these physical and vocal qualities to their roles. The orchestra plays brilliantly and the conductor paces each scene perfectly. This is truly an ideal production that is brought to life beautifully on Blu Ray.
This production respects the composer's intentions in every way. The sets reflect the 18th century paintings that inspired the piece and are especially well served by Blu Ray high definition. The period costumes are beautifully designed to draw the characters into the sets, or "pictures", and are a delight to look at.
(This certainly is an improvement over the other Blu Ray offering of this piece that sets the piece in modern day Texas complete with cattle and oil barrons! I couldn't watch - it was such a contradiction to the music and to the mood of the piece. I'm sure the production team for that production thought they were being very clever - but they succeeded only in confusing and confounding their audience!)
The singers in this production are also a delight - to see as well as to hear. The characters are young, compulsive and enthusiastic, so it is wonderful to have singers who bring these physical and vocal qualities to their roles. The orchestra plays brilliantly and the conductor paces each scene perfectly. This is truly an ideal production that is brought to life beautifully on Blu Ray.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By I. Giles
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Rake's Progress was written in 1951 and first performed and staged in Vienna by Carl Ebert who was also Glyndebourne's first director of productions. Subsequently Glyndebourne staged the opera with similar Italianate designs in 1953, introducing a further staging in 1963 but this time with cartoon-influenced designs by Osbert Lancaster. This progression of change led to the current Hogarth inspired designs by David Hockney which were first seen at Glyndebourne in 1975 and were an instant hit. Since then there have been five revivals of this production and this latest performance was recorded in 2010.
Stravinsky was inspired to write the opera by seeing the group of Hogarth's 1735 creation entitled `The Rake's Progress' so it seems wholly appropriate that this production has returned to the creative root of the composition so to speak. The result is a perfect blend of ancient and modern which has avoided any aging process over the intervening 35 years and which allows the fable to relate effortlessly to the current audience generation.
The cast on this occasion is absolutely outstanding. Topi Lehtipuu as Tom Rakewell and Miah Persson as Anne Trulove retain an engaging youthful freshness throughout despite Tom's steady decline. Matthew Rose is an effective and menacingly likeable Nick Shadow and Elena Manistina keeps a light touch as Baba the Turk. Clive Bailey as Father Trulove provides the necessary steadying voice of good reason and Susan Gorton as Mother Goose is more than a match for the guileless Tom in the brothel scene. The chorus in the brothel and madhouse scenes is excellent. All concerned both sing and act their parts with utter conviction and with evident enjoyment in the music.... Read more ›
Stravinsky was inspired to write the opera by seeing the group of Hogarth's 1735 creation entitled `The Rake's Progress' so it seems wholly appropriate that this production has returned to the creative root of the composition so to speak. The result is a perfect blend of ancient and modern which has avoided any aging process over the intervening 35 years and which allows the fable to relate effortlessly to the current audience generation.
The cast on this occasion is absolutely outstanding. Topi Lehtipuu as Tom Rakewell and Miah Persson as Anne Trulove retain an engaging youthful freshness throughout despite Tom's steady decline. Matthew Rose is an effective and menacingly likeable Nick Shadow and Elena Manistina keeps a light touch as Baba the Turk. Clive Bailey as Father Trulove provides the necessary steadying voice of good reason and Susan Gorton as Mother Goose is more than a match for the guileless Tom in the brothel scene. The chorus in the brothel and madhouse scenes is excellent. All concerned both sing and act their parts with utter conviction and with evident enjoyment in the music.... Read more ›
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Every now and again there comes an occasion when one runs out of superlatives to describe productions, and this is one such production! Everything about it is excellent; this is a revival of the famous 1975 Glyndebourne production with costumes and sets designed by David Hockney which he based on the original cartoons of Hogarth. True the cross hatching is a tele visual nightmare as it can flair occasionally, but it is a design masterpiece!
The performances throughout are superb, there is not a single weak link in the production, the three main protagonists are as well balanced a trio as you could wish for, Topi Lehtipuu is an apt Tom with Miah Persson as his beautiful Trulove, although for me it is Matthew Rose as Nick Shadow, the Mefostofele figure of the opera, who stands out! The Glyndebourne Chorus is in really good form as are the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski
The extras are good also, along with the usual cast gallery, we get two short films, one, a discussion with the director, Johan Cox, Vladimir Jurowski and David Hockney about the staging of the opera, the other, a behind the scenes with contributions from cast members as well as the Cox and Hockney, I must admit, I could have listened to more Hockney discussing the work and his designs!
All in all, from start to finish this production is a real joy, one which I will no doubt get hours of pleasure from in the future, and one which whole heartedly recommend!
The performances throughout are superb, there is not a single weak link in the production, the three main protagonists are as well balanced a trio as you could wish for, Topi Lehtipuu is an apt Tom with Miah Persson as his beautiful Trulove, although for me it is Matthew Rose as Nick Shadow, the Mefostofele figure of the opera, who stands out! The Glyndebourne Chorus is in really good form as are the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski
The extras are good also, along with the usual cast gallery, we get two short films, one, a discussion with the director, Johan Cox, Vladimir Jurowski and David Hockney about the staging of the opera, the other, a behind the scenes with contributions from cast members as well as the Cox and Hockney, I must admit, I could have listened to more Hockney discussing the work and his designs!
All in all, from start to finish this production is a real joy, one which I will no doubt get hours of pleasure from in the future, and one which whole heartedly recommend!
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