Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress

Starring:Jonathan Best (II), Jerry Hadley, Dawn Upshaw, Monte Pederson, Linda Ormiston, Jane Henschel, Barry Banks
Director: Brian Large
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress occupies two worlds. The story, the ironically moralizing attitudes, and many musical and verbal details are inspired by the 18th century. But it is modern in rhythm and harmony and in its psychology--Freudianism and existentialism in a powdered wig. Each production must find its own balance between these polarities, and this crisp, stylish treatment, taped at the Salzburg Festival in 1996, leans heavily toward modernity. The Faustian story of ne'er-do-well Tom Rakewell is told in symbols from its beginning (when he succumbs instantly to the temptations of the diabolical Nick Shadow) to the final mad scene. The props include a small, earthbound airplane, signifying Tom's flights of fancy, and some supernumeraries wearing ape costumes and capering about, symbolizing perhaps his obsessions. The costumes are modern: Tom in a T-shirt, Anne Trulove (his fiancée) in a dress so simple it looks like a slip, Nick in a mafia-style pinstripe suit. Designer Jorg Immendorff, a prominent German painter, is ingenious and self-indulgent in his staging. He portrays Tom as an artist not unlike himself. But if ever an opera had its visual elements clearly prescribed, it is The Rake's Progress--inspired by a set of engravings by William Hogarth that have no resemblance to Immendorff's staging.

There have been first-class productions that respected Hogarth's vision. One of them is sure to find its way to home video eventually, and those who are upset by visual tampering with an opera's original concept might want to wait. But the Salzburg audience applauds it thoroughly in this production. Stravinsky's music is well handled. Jerry Hadley brings both pathos and humor to the title role, Dawn Upshaw puts a lot of personality into the rather bland, goody-goody role of Anne, and they have an expert supporting cast. --Joe McLellan
Description
Igor Stravinsky was inspired by William Hogarth's sequence of anecdotal pictures The Rake's Progress to compose this three-act opera which charts the rise and fall of Tom Rakewell after inheriting an unexpected legacy. The libretto is by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallmann and follows an eighteenth-century operatic structure, with separate arias, ensembles and choruses linked by recitative. Recorded live from the Salzburg Festival, this striking production is the result of a collaboration between stage director Peter Mussbach and the leading German artist Jorg Immendorff, whose spectacular, self-referential and humorous designs were hailed as a triumph. At the core of an exceptionally fine musical performance is Jerry Hadley, who charts Tom Rakewell's swift disillusion with extreme skill. Soprano Dawn Upshaw is superb as Anne, Tom's faithful model, and Monte Pederson makes a devilish Nick Shadow, an underworld heavy in a pinstripe suit. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Camerata Academica. 1996. 156 minutes.

Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress / Lott, Goeke, Ramey, Elias, van Allan, Haitink, Glyndebourne Opera
Average customer rating:

Impressive Realization of THE RAKE

This Production Will Likely Never Be Bettered

Finally, The Rake's Progress as Stravinsky and Auden intended it.

Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress / Lott, Goeke, Ramey, Elias, van Allan, Haitink, Glyndebourne Opera
Starring: Samuel Ramey , Leo Goeke , Felicity Lott , Richard van Allan , and Bernard Haitink
Manufacturer: Arthaus Musik
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video
General | Classical | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video
General | Opera | Classical | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video
Lott, Felicity | By Performer | Opera | Classical | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video
Stravinsky, Igor | By Composer | Classical | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video
Allan, Richard Van | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Ramey, Samuel | ( R ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Used DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex / Norman, Langridge, Terfel, Swenson, Tatara, Peters, Shiraishi, Ozawa, Saito Kinen Opera-Oratorio

Rameau - Les Indes Galantes / Petibon, Croft, Hartelius, Agnew, Rivenq, Berg, Strehl, Christie, Les Arts Florissants, Paris Opera

Prokofiev - Betrothal in a Monastery / Netrebko, Diadkova, Alexashkin, Akimov, Gergalov, Gassiev, Sokolova, Gergiev, Kirov Opera

Lully - Persee / Novacek, Auvity, Lenormand, Whicher, Laquerre, Coulombe, Niquet, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto

Saariaho - L'Amour de Loin / Dawn Upshaw, Gerald Finley, Monica Groop, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish National Opera, Helsinki

ASIN: B000A16I2S
Release Date: 2005-08-16

Customer Reviews:

Impressive Realization of THE RAKE.......2006-06-27

THE RAKE'S PROGRESS, a collaborative effort between composer Igor Stravinsky and poets W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is one of the operatic milestones of the 20th century. This often misunderstood and even maligned work divided critics when it was premiered in 1951: some thought it a pointless pastiche, others found the work's classical sanity and clarity deeply meaningful and the perfect artistic antidote to the recent World War. The highly literary Auden/Kallman libretto, inspired by moralistic narrative drawings by William Hogarth, is a brilliant and timeless parable, illustrating the moral downfall of a weak, naive young man at the hands of the nihilistic arguments of the Devil. Stravinsky's neoclassical score, by turns acerbic and warmly lyrical, attains in places to a 20th-century approximation of the crystalline purity and perfection of Mozart. Such arias as "Love, too frequently betrayed", "Vary the song, O London", and "No word from Tom"; the trio in Act II Scene 2; and the final scene in the madhouse are among such transcendent musical moments.

Finally (as of 2005), we have the opportunity to enjoy on DVD what is probably the most famous production of the opera, the one designed by David Hockney for the Glyndebourne Festival in 1975 (though it could be 1995, so clear are the picture and sound). The sets of this staging feature flat surfaces and cross-hatching motifs that mimic the famous Hogarth etchings while also underscoring the opera's deliberate artificiality and stylization. The sets and costumes are in several places colorful and beautiful; on the other hand, in the brothel scene and the auction scene Hockney sacrifices beauty to gross realism and/or grotesquerie, making these scenes less enjoyable for me (though by no means un-Hogarthian).

Tenor Leo Goeke plays the titular rake, Tom Rakewell; while not extremely incisive in vocal tone or stage presence, he proves moving as Tom plunges into despair and madness, crying real tears in the madhouse scene. As Anne, Tom's "true love", Felicity Lott offers a warm, intelligent stage presence and fluid vocalism (including secure intonation and accurate rendering of coloratura, tasks which Goeke sometimes falls short of). The other outstanding performance is the Nick Shadow of Samuel Ramey, then 32 or 33 years old; wearing a black wig which gives him a somewhat androgynous appearance, he makes a suave, sinister, and seductive (to say nothing of superbly sung) Devil. Bernard Haitink leads the London Philharmonic in a brilliant, incisive reading of this tricky score. A curiosity of the formal presentation of this Arthaus Musik DVD is the liner notes, which appear to have been translated from German by someone with limited proficiency in English. Lovers of this opera who are English-speaking may be a little put off by this bit of amateurism.

Fans of Stravinsky, Auden, 20th-century opera, great English poetry, classicism, morality plays, the 20th-century Christian revival, or all of the above, will be intrigued and pleased by THE RAKE'S PROGRESS.

This Production Will Likely Never Be Bettered.......2005-09-14

This 1975 production from Glyndebourne is one of the most celebrated opera productions of the past thirty years. Primarily this is because of the absolutely fabulous design by David Hockney who took the engravings of Hogarth's series 'The Rake's Progress,' which had inspired the opera in the first place, and turned them into some of the cleverest sets and costumes ever seen. The designs mimic the hatchmarks seen in etchings and are conveyed in only a few basic colors - black, blue, red, green - and appear not only in the backgrounds but also in the materials of the costumes themselves. Some of Hockney's 'Rake' designs can be found on the Internet, if one looks, and can give one an idea of how striking they are.

All that, of course, would be for naught if it weren't for the graceful stage direction by John Cox and the stunning musical direction by Bernard Haitink, leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

As for the cast, they are well-nigh perfect. Leo Goeke, a tenor of whom I am not generally fond, is perfect both in looks and sound for the rake of the title, Tom Rakewell. He limns the downward spiral of the young man with simplicity and without a bit of sentimentality. The then-young Felicity Lott, at the beginning of her career, is a simply stunning Anne Trulove. She sings with lyric beauty and her acting, in a fairly one-dimensional part, is believable and touching. Her 'Gently, little boat' brings tears to one's eyes. Samuel Ramey, also at the beginning of his career, is splendid as the efficiently evil Nick Shadow, with enough charm to make the character believable. The card-playing scene in the graveyard between Tom and Nick is paced, sung and acted so credibly that one holds one's breath. Nick's disappearance into the coffin after he loses to Tom is a coup de théâtre of the best sort. Rosalind Elias chews the scenery as Baba the Turk, the bearded lady. She brings down the house in the continuation of her aria in Act III, and she sings gorgeously. Richard van Allen, as Trulove, is appropriately stern and then forgiving, and his black bass is used in service of the character. Minor characters - Sellem, Mother Goose, the keeper of the madhouse - are all done wonderfully. The Glyndebourne Chorus, who have an extremely important part to play, are superb. In the madhouse scene one realizes they would be stunning in, say, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms.

This production had previously been available on VHS but I never saw it. This DVD has wonderful sight and sound. I doubt I shall ever need to own another version of this wonderful Mozartean opera by Stravinsky.

An unabashedly enthusiastic recommendation.

TT=146 mins; PCM stereo; Subtitles in English, German, French, Spanish.

Scott Morrison

Finally, The Rake's Progress as Stravinsky and Auden intended it........2005-09-10

This 1975 Glyndebourn Festival production of The Rake's Progress cannot be surpassed. David Hockney's sets refer back to the 18th Century engravings by Hogarth that inspired Auden and Stravinsky. He magically uses the effect of black and white engraving lines along with brightly colored costumes to achieve a feast for the eyes. Bernard Haitink conducts Stravinsky's score with an ear for accuracy and affect. Perhaps he might have directed with a mite more "snap" to the rhythms, but this is a very minor quibble.

Felicity Lott's Ann Truelove is sweetly innocent yet passionately in love. Her singing is exquisitely produced and nuanced. Goeke's Tom Rakewell's descent into greed, lust, boredom, and failed good intentions is masterfuly portrayed. His voice is light and accurate, just as the score calls for. When his love for Ann saves him from damnation and his association with the devil robs him of his sanity, the scene in Bedlam in which he thinks Ann is Venus and he sings of his love for her thinking he himself is Adonis - well, the heart breaks and breaks again. Samuel Ramey's Nick Shadow is as good as it gets: he is in turn charming, insidious, theatening, seductive, sarcastic and, yes, thoroughly diabolical. Of course, his singing is impeccable. One is reminded of how perfect a Mefistofele he made in Boito's opera of the same name (available on VHS and DVD in a San Francisco Opera production). Rosalind Elias sings and plays Baba the Turk with her usual command of her art; she is simply fabulous, at times hilarious and at times imperious. Richard van Allan brings vocal distinction together with dignity and compassion to the part of Father Truelove. The other singers are excellent in their roles (Mother Goose, Sellem the auctioneer, the warden in Bedlam). The acting and singing of the chorus cannot be faulted.

Everything is right about this production and this performance.

Finally, for goodness' sake don't be drawn into buying the Salzburg Festival version available on DVD. Although the singing and playing are first rate (Jerry Hadley, Dawn Upshaw, et al.), the stage production is a travesty. The production is a stage director's ego trip and a fine example of "Euro-trash." The "Progress" becomes a bohenian painter's search for his artistic aesthetic. Tom wears paint spattered jeans and a Brando t-shirt. Ann turns up throughout the opera wearing what seems to be a slip (perhaps a shift). Nick Shadow is something of a Mafia thug. Father Trulove is a hick farmer. Baba the Turk wears a butterschotch leather jacket over a black t-shirt with a yellow happy face, together with a mini-skirt. A group of monkeys comes and goes. Clown make-up is laid on increasingly thickly from act to act. One can do an innovative production of this opera, as Sarah Caldwell once did in Boston, without disrespect for librettist and composer and without asking the performers to appear foolish. Stay away from Salzburg 1994; go for Glyndebourn 1975.

Average customer rating:

A Fantastic Rakewell
An Opera's Regress
A travesty
The is the One to Have!

Stravinsky - The Rake's Progress
Starring: Jonathan Best (II) , Jerry Hadley , Dawn Upshaw , Monte Pederson , and Linda Ormiston
Director: Brian Large
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier / Gwyneth Jones, Brigitte Fassbaender, Lucia Popp, Manfred Jungwirth, Benno Kusche, Carlos Kleiber, Munich Opera
Rossini - La Cenerentola / Frederica von Stade, Francisco Araiza, Paolo Montarsolo, Claudio Desderi, Laura Zannini, Claudio Abbado
Prokofiev - The Love for Three Oranges / Nagano, Opera National de Lyon
Debussy - Pelleas et Melisande / Boulez, Archer, Hagley, Welsh National Opera
Berg - Wozzeck / Duesing · K. Ciesinski · Banks · R. Hamilton · R. Davies · Ormiston, Peter Mussbach · Sylvain Cambreling · Frankfurt Opera

ASIN: 6305908745
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Amazon.com

Igor Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress occupies two worlds. The story, the ironically moralizing attitudes, and many musical and verbal details are inspired by the 18th century. But it is modern in rhythm and harmony and in its psychology--Freudianism and existentialism in a powdered wig. Each production must find its own balance between these polarities, and this crisp, stylish treatment, taped at the Salzburg Festival in 1996, leans heavily toward modernity. The Faustian story of ne'er-do-well Tom Rakewell is told in symbols from its beginning (when he succumbs instantly to the temptations of the diabolical Nick Shadow) to the final mad scene. The props include a small, earthbound airplane, signifying Tom's flights of fancy, and some supernumeraries wearing ape costumes and capering about, symbolizing perhaps his obsessions. The costumes are modern: Tom in a T-shirt, Anne Trulove (his fiancée) in a dress so simple it looks like a slip, Nick in a mafia-style pinstripe suit. Designer Jorg Immendorff, a prominent German painter, is ingenious and self-indulgent in his staging. He portrays Tom as an artist not unlike himself. But if ever an opera had its visual elements clearly prescribed, it is The Rake's Progress--inspired by a set of engravings by William Hogarth that have no resemblance to Immendorff's staging.

Description

Igor Stravinsky was inspired by William Hogarth's sequence of anecdotal pictures The Rake's Progress to compose this three-act opera which charts the rise and fall of Tom Rakewell after inheriting an unexpected legacy. The libretto is by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallmann and follows an eighteenth-century operatic structure, with separate arias, ensembles and choruses linked by recitative. Recorded live from the Salzburg Festival, this striking production is the result of a collaboration between stage director Peter Mussbach and the leading German artist Jorg Immendorff, whose spectacular, self-referential and humorous designs were hailed as a triumph. At the core of an exceptionally fine musical performance is Jerry Hadley, who charts Tom Rakewell's swift disillusion with extreme skill. Soprano Dawn Upshaw is superb as Anne, Tom's faithful model, and Monte Pederson makes a devilish Nick Shadow, an underworld heavy in a pinstripe suit. Sylvain Cambreling conducts the Camerata Academica. 1996. 156 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

A Fantastic Rakewell.......2006-09-06

I would like to caution people against being too close minded against this revolutionary staging of The Rakes Progress. Certainly it falls in places, but it is not a disgrace to anything. If people have seen it as such then they have merely closed their mind to the spirit of the piece.
For better or for worse, the Rakes Progress is a light hearted work. Yes it is touching, yes it is gripping and dramatic, but it is also light-hearted and cartoonish. Thus Charachters like Mother Goose and Baba the Turk. These are very fantastical personalities and here they are given a fantastical world to inhabit.
The conception of Tom Rakewell is more or less that of an irresponsible teen brought into our modern day in jeans and a tee. This is an excellent portrait of Tom. A disaffected youth with dillusions of grandeur. He is lazy, irresponsible and prone to fancy. In this way, a jeans wearing, lazy, post-modern kid, is pretty fantastic. Jerry Hadley, playing TOm rakewell, is the greatest that there have ever been. Listen to this tenor with your heart. He inhabits the lines with every bit of himself, changing from a endless palette of colors, from dark and sensuous, to pure beauty, to insane folkyness to stressed desperation to the collorless of pallor of an exestential soul in the void. I cried so often at Jerry Hadleys rake that I cannot conceive of calling his performance over the top. He is among the great Tenors of all time in creating Charachter, and having recently been able to learn from him, has confirmed his place as a great artist. Hadleys voice is not flexable nor does he poar out Cavaradossi tone... but he actually connects to the music.... go figure
Dawn Upshaw was a wonderful Anne. She was attractively attired in a white sun-dress. She added a touch of melancholy and cheekyness to Anne, who can be so one dimensional. And WHO CARES that she didn't dress like an aristocrat.... Why does a father have to be dressed in a suit to want his daugther to marry a decent man, and why does the daughter have to dress like a prude? The love between the girl in the sun-dress and the guy in the jeans was the sweet type of young love.. which many say is fleeting but many more say is the most wonderful illusion of happiness on the planet... it was touching.
I liked also the Shadow of Pederson. He was a subtle, verging on Bland Devil for a long time in the show, very camp and light. And all of the sudden the darkness came poaring out in the final scenes. Contrast that to Terfel who constantly seems to be fighting the nastiness of the charachter. They are both valid interpretations, I think.
As to the monkeys, well they were strange, but this is a strange story, of bearded mezzos, and devils, something out of Dr. Seuss... was put back into doctor seuss. I do not mean to discredit a more traditional staging of this piece. But there is a genuine ovation to be merited by this production... if you have an open mind.
AND OPERA IS NOT DEAD.... UNLESS YOU CONSTANTLY PRONOUNCE it dead every time you see something you don't like. We cannot possibly concieve how an opera "should" be, these are evolving and changing works.. which change with our own historical baggage and cultural sensibility. I am not a revisionist, nor do I like to see works raped of their context... but this cliked with me, maybe it was the passion and inspiration of Hadley that did it.

An Opera's Regress.......2006-04-27

How long, I wonder, until the Age of the Egotistical Director is behind us, and operas are once again staged with some attempt to reproduce their authors' intentions? The
Rake's Progress was conceived as a cautionary tale for the 20th century, framed within the discourse and ideas of the 18th century; Stravinsky took Mozart as his stylistic model, while Auden & Kallman took Voltaire, Kant & other Age of Enlightenment thinkers for theirs. The opera lives, breathes and finds its very being in an 18th century milieu, and any attempt to drag it from its natural habitat works against the authors' shared vision. In this absurdly hallucinogenic production Tom Rakewell is portrayed by Jerry Hadley rather like a pathetic middle aged rocker vainly impersonating John Travolta in Grease; apes follow him about for no apparent reason; Dawn Upshaw plays Anne, a respectable young woman of the landed gentry, in a blue night dress and bare feet from start to finish.
It is only the many fine vocal performances which offer any enjoyment in this abortion. Sadly, the one cast member who lets the team down is the undisciplined Hadley who too often throws phrases off as declamations, rather than simply singing them.

A travesty.......2003-11-30

Get the excellent Glyndebourne production with Hockney sets (now on DVD). This production is really silly and works counter to the marvelous score.

The is the One to Have!.......2003-06-25

So far this 1996 Salzburg Festival production of 'The Rake's Progress', Stravinsky's 'Mozartian opera,' is the only one to make it to DVD. But frankly I don't think you need look any further; from the opening scene set in Tom's painter's studio (with Anne as his demure model) to the amusingly staged epilog that is an homage to that of 'Don Giovanni,' the production never flags, impelled smoothly by the alert conducting of Sylvain Cambreling. The production, conceived and directed by Peter Mussbach with set/costume design by Jörg Immendorff, goes from triumph to triumph. The stage action, scenery and costumes, although not always immediately clear in intent, are colorful, amusing, always engaging.

The cast could hardly be bettered. Jerry Hadley, sometimes not a very inspired actor, makes a believable and sympathetically tragic Tom Rakewell in this tale of a young man ruined by wealth and temptation. His singing is pointed, if not always innately beautiful. Dawn Upshaw, as Anne Trulove, is delectable both visually and aurally. It is hard, frankly, to imagine a better Anne. Her two big scenes, 'No word from Tom ... I go, I go to him,' and 'Gently little boat' are beautifully sung and emotionally moving. Nick Shadow, sung by Monte Pederson kitted out as a kind of Daddy Warbucks, is both vocally superb and dramatically menacing. Contralto Jane Henschel as Baba the Turk is hilarious but also sings the part's coloratura as well as I've ever heard. Not a small woman, Henschel is light on her feet and her nimble moves onstage contribute conspicuously to her impersonation of the nattering bearded lady. Linda Ormiston's licentious Mother Goose, Barry Banks's oily Sellem, and Jonathan Best's stalwart Trulove contribute vocally and visually well-drawn characterizations to round out, along with the almost omnipresent Vienna State Opera chorus, a top-drawer cast.

The production was directed for TV by Brian Large. Is there anyone better doing this sort of thing? If so, I don't know who.

I give this DVD my strongest recommendation.

Description

This lavish, cinematic realisation of Stravinsky's neo-classic masterpiece, performed in English, is filmed both in studio and on location. Barbara Hendricks and Håken Hagegård, as Anne Trulove and Nick Shadow, carry on an uneven struggle for the soul of the young and innocent Tom Rakewell, sung by American tenor Greg Fedderly. The imaginative richness in the music is complemented by costumes and sets which are, by turn, exquisitely garish and darkly grotesque to intoxicating effect. Libretto by W..H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Tom Rakewell: Greg Fedderly, Anne Trulove: Barbara Hendricks, Nick Shadow: Håkan Hagegård, Baba The Turk: Brian Asawa, Trulove: Erik Saedén, Mother Goose: Gunilla Söderström, Sellem: Arild Helleland. Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra And Radio Choir, Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Program language: English. Subtitles: English / French / German / Italian / Portuguese / Spanish / Japanese

Customer Reviews:

Skip this Rake!.......2007-01-26

You do not get the complete work (bizaare cuts that make no sense). Also why use a countertenor for Baba The Turk? Auidio quality (at least when it broadcast on tv) was tinny.

Don't overlook this Rake.......2006-03-30

I realize I risk stirring some opprobrium in giving this TV film version of Stravinsky's opera The Rake's Progress my highest possible recommendation - but I do.

A number of critics have disparaged it, quite rightly, for having excised some 20 minutes of Stravinksy's inspired music, and Auden-Kallman's inspired poetry. Some have despised its overuse of unmusical tricks. Still others have said that a truly great alternative is to be found in the video that records the 1975 Glyndebourne production. Again, true.

However, on its own terms, this is a most rewarding treatment of the Rake. Firstly, the sets, sounds, lighting and other cinematic effects conjure up a veritable Hogarthian 18th Century England that serves the story very well. Secondly, the vocal and orchestral performances are first-rate, if not up to the ideal established by Stravinsky himself in his 1964 audio recording. Thirdly, the individual performances of the singing-actors, matched by effective directing and Salonen in the pit, give the dramatic narrative colour, energy and some fresh insights.

I'll close by speaking to this last quality. As Tom, tenor Greg Fedderly looks the part, but he also sings the part, and is quite convincing as the callow youth who falls headlong into final tragedy. Even more affecting is telegenic and opulent voiced soprano Barbara Hendricks' Anne. At several points during the film, the camera lingers on her expressions of joy and sorrow to good effect. Kudos also to baritone Hakan Hagegard as Nick, who is all the more effective in his role as the opera's satanic presence because of his restraint, as this serves the biggests moments, such as in the film's rendering of the churchyard scene. I was also impressed by countertenor Brian Asawa's assumption of Baba the Turk, a performance that helps underscore the nature of complex, seductive London. Also, Asawa very ably communicates both the compassion and vainglory that is bound up in the Baba character.

Taken together, this adds up to a Rake that does the job. While it does not best the alternatives, it tells the story with a proper and sensitive framing of tragiccomic elements. The missing 20 minutes notwithstanding, I thought it terrific. And given that more lovers of culture-with-something-to-say should see this 20th Century operatic masterpiece, I urge others to seek it out.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

The President's Mystery (1936) DVD

Stormchasers

Blood From The Mummy's Tomb / Devil Rides Out / Horror Of Fr

DVD: The Buddhist Fist

Jamelia - DJ / Stop