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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.
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.