295. The Rake's Progress 1953
Opera in Three Acts and Nine Scenes
- Music
Igor Stravinsky (produced 1951). Libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, a fable and epilogue after William Hogarth’s paintings
- Choreography
George Balanchine
- Production
Stage direction by George Balanchine. Scenery and costumes by Horace Armistead. Scenery constructed by Metropolitan Opera Studio and painted by Studio Alliance; costumes executed by Helene Pons Studio
- Premiere
February 14, 1953, Metropolitan Opera, New York. Conductor: Fritz Reiner
- Cast
Trulove, Norman Scott; Anne, Hilde Gueden; Tom Rakewell, Eugene Conley; Nick Shadow, Mack Harrell; Mother Goose, Martha Lipton; Baba the Turk, Blanche Thebom; Sellem, Auctioneer, Paul Franke; Keeper of the Madhouse, Lawrence Davidson; and others
Performance Type
Opera
Note
American premiere. Although the staging was noted for its choreographic qualities, particularly in the brothel scene at Mother Goose’s house and the last act in the Madhouse, there were no actual dance sequences.
