IGORFEST: THE RAKE'S PROGRESS

Wednesday 5 December 2007 at 7.30pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham +44 (0)121-780 3333

Jac van Steen  conductor
Ed Lyon  tenor
Claire Booth  Anne Trulove
James Rutherford  Nick Shadow
Susan Bickley  Baba the Turk / Mother Goose
Christopher Gillett  Sellem
CBSO Chorus  

Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress 140'

Our ground-breaking four-year journey through Stravinsky's complete works reaches a major milestone with his only full-length opera. The Rake's Progress - composed in 1951 to a libretto by his great collaborator W H Auden, and Chester Kallman - is a witty retelling of the Faust legend inspired by Hogarth's famous series of paintings. The setting in 18th-century London allowed Stravinsky to indulge his passion for neo-classical pastiche, and so the opera is a 20th-century take on the Mozart operas which he adored. Dutch conductor Jac van Steen is joined by a distinguished British cast for this very modern morality tale. Sung in the original English.

Sounds Interesting pre-concert talk at 6.15pm
IgorFest The Rake's Progress
Renowned musicologist Paul Griffiths talks about the literary and musical influences that shaped Stravinsky's greatest opera.