Opera For Everyone: Ep. 135 The Rake's Progress (October 5, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this engaging and insightful episode, host Pat Wright and guest co-host Kathleen Vandewille dive deep into Igor Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress with English libretto by W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman. The discussion seamlessly blends musical appreciation, literary context, history, and thematic analysis, making the opera’s story both accessible and meaningful. Expect explorations of 18th-century art, Stravinsky’s musical intentions, the fascinating cast of characters, and the opera’s moral center, all treated with characteristic warmth, humor, and literary flair.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Makings and Meaning of "The Rake’s Progress"

• Defining the Rake:

  • Kathleen reintroduces the term "rake"—an outdated English word for a "hellraiser or a profligate man," commonly associated with gambling, drinking, carousing, and womanizing ([01:15–01:46]).
  • The opera’s title does not mean progress toward improvement, but a journey through decadence: “This is what happens during a section of his life.” (Pat, [02:04])

• Origins:

  • Based on William Hogarth’s 18th-century series of paintings, which were “like a graphic novel of their day” (Kathleen, [07:15]).
  • Hogarth used his art for moralizing, depicting a young man’s decline through vice.
  • Connection to moral literature like John Bunyan’s "Pilgrim’s Progress", but in reverse.

• Composer and Librettists:

  • Igor Stravinsky, already a modernist icon, sought to write an English opera after moving to the US ([03:23]).
  • Aldous Huxley, Stravinsky’s Hollywood neighbor, introduced him to W.H. Auden ([04:10–04:15]).
  • Auden and Chester Kallman collaborated in New York, mixing their deep literary backgrounds and theatricality ([04:29]).

“Auden really straddles that tradition of looking back towards the old, but also incorporating the new into his work.”
—Kathleen ([06:24])

• Musical Style:
  • Stravinsky aimed for a neoclassical sound, deliberately referencing earlier forms to “break from the Wagnerian tradition and use recitatives, arias and harpsichords,” seeking clarity and structure ([17:55–19:20]).

2. Plot Synopsis and Scene-by-Scene Highlights

Act 1: Idyllic Beginnings and Devilish Deals

• Country Idyl:

  • Tom Rakewell and Anne Truelove are introduced as sweethearts ([10:13]).
  • Anne’s father, Truelove, is a “reality check” and offers Tom a job, which he declines, relying on faith in luck ([21:42–22:47]).
  • Tom’s worldview: "Since it is not by merit we rise or fall, but by the favor of fortune, why should I labor at all?" (Tom’s aria, [26:09])

• The Arrival of Nick Shadow:

  • Tom wishes for money—cue Nick Shadow, a Faustian devil figure ([28:08–28:44]).
  • Nick presents Tom as the heir to a fortune, tempting him to London, with an ominous employment contract: “Pay me what you think I’m worth after a year and a day” ([32:47–33:36]).
  • Allusions to fairy tale motifs: wishes, supernatural helpers, “a year and a day.”

“If anyone ever says to you, in a year and a day, that is trouble language right there... That is a real warning sign.”
—Kathleen ([32:59–33:36])

• London Sins:
  • Tom is swiftly introduced to urban vice in a brothel (Mother Goose’s house).
  • The score revels in "the fun side" of sin—choruses of rakes, drinking, and the enticing Mother Goose ([39:21-41:23]).

Act 2: Escalation and Estrangement

• Scene of Boredom:

  • Tom, now wealthy, is “so bored by it all”—a core aspect of the rake’s psychology ([53:17–54:25]).

• Nick's Unorthodox Solution:

  • Nick suggests Tom should “marry the bearded lady of the circus” (Baba the Turk) to break the cycle of desire and gain ‘freedom’ ([55:26–56:26]).
  • This move is both absurd and thrilling—“It is hard to be bored when you're trying to get engaged to the bearded lady at the circus.” (Kathleen, [57:07])

• Anne’s Loyalty:

  • Meanwhile, Anne, certain Tom needs her, resolves to go find and help him ([46:22–47:39]).

• Baba’s Introduction:

  • Baba is much more than a comic foil; she is vibrant, famous, and a catalyst for further chaos ([74:17–75:52]).
  • The marriage scene is farcical and awkward, culminating in Tom’s desperate attempt to silence Baba by magical means ([85:01–87:46]).

Act 3: Downfall and Redemption Denied

• Financial Ruin:

  • Tom is ruined by a get-rich-quick stone-to-bread machine scam, orchestrated by Nick ([88:12–89:39]).
  • The auction scene is both energetic and pitiful as Tom’s (and Baba’s) possessions are sold off; Baba is auctioned live, wakes from magical stasis, and offers Anne compassionate guidance ([95:38–98:15]).

• Final Confrontation:

  • In a graveyard, Nick demands Tom’s soul. In a climactic card game, Tom wins—but at a cost—Nick curses him with madness ([100:04–107:07]).

“If the devil offers you a card game for your soul, don’t take it. But I guess if it’s your only option....”
—Kathleen ([104:12])

• Madness and Closure:
  • Tom, mad, ends up in Bedlam (the mental asylum), believing himself Adonis and Anne his Venus [109:04–111:32].
  • Anne forgives him, serenades him to sleep, but cannot rescue him; she chooses to move on with her life ([112:55–113:52]).
  • The opera closes with a meta-epilogue, all characters returning with a moral: “Idle hands are the devil’s work—don’t be like Rakewell.” ([115:28–116:32])

3. Literary and Artistic Resonances

• Faust Legend:

  • The opera echoes Faustian tales—deals with the devil, temptation, damnation, and the salvific role of a pure woman ([67:18]).

• 18th- & 19th-Century Context:

  • Jane Austen’s “rakes” (e.g., Wickham from Pride and Prejudice) as literary forebears of Tom.
  • The consequences of excess, financial ruin, and the debtor’s prison as harsh historical realities ([100:04–101:32]).

• Auden, Kallman, and Stravinsky:

  • Themes of “wrestling with the ancestors,” anxiety of influence, and the deliberate use of pastiche ([51:24–52:20]).

"Stravinsky doesn't really just mean for this to be, 'Oh, isn't this just a fun little story?' You gotta take something away from it. There's a moral here, and that's very 18th century."
—Kathleen ([116:13])

4. Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Harpsichord:

  “Nothing quite feels like the 18th century as when you hear a harpsichord.”
  —Kathleen ([17:23])

• On Tom’s Character:

  “He likes being idle. He likes lolling about on the grass with his sweetheart and not doing a whole lot during the day. But he’s also got this faith in himself, completely unfounded faith in himself. He says, ‘Don’t worry, your daughter will not marry a poor man…money’s coming.’”
  —Kathleen ([21:53])

• On the Devil (Nick Shadow):

  “He is so much smarter than Tom, frankly...an evil genius. He is yards beyond Tom at all times.”
  —Kathleen ([29:26])

• On Anne’s Nature:

  “She knows him. She gets that he isn’t strong, she gets that he is lazy and she loves him still, which is interesting.”
  —Kathleen ([47:20])

• On Baba:

  “Her being bearded is the least obnoxious thing about her to him. She is vain, she is flighty…But Tom is completely… her marriage has also bored him and he is deeply regretting it.”
  —Kathleen ([81:24])

5. Recommended Recordings & Resources

• Main Recording Used:

  • London Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Eliot Gardiner (1979)
  • Cast includes Ian Bostridge (Tom), Deborah York (Anne), Bryn Terfel (Nick), Anne Sofie von Otter (Baba), Anne Howells (Mother Goose).

• Staging Recommendations:

  • Seek out live performances—referenced: Des Moines Metro Opera and Santa Fe Opera as recent/top-notch productions ([60:53–61:41]).
  • YouTube versions juxtaposing Hogarth's images with the music are also recommended.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:24–01:46 — Introduction, definitions: What is a rake?
• 03:23–08:14 — Stravinsky, Auden, Kallman: background and collaboration
• 17:23–19:20 — Stravinsky’s musical intentions, use of harpsichord
• 24:42–27:49 — Tom’s philosophy: "I wish I had money"
• 28:08–33:36 — Nick Shadow appears; Tom’s fateful deal
• 39:21–41:23 — Brothel scene and Nick's seductions
• 47:03–49:03 — Anne’s aria “I go to him”—her resolve and agency
• 53:17–54:25 — Tom, the bored libertine
• 86:19–87:46 — Tom quiets Baba (magic wig/birdcage scene)
• 92:00–93:20 — Tom’s enthusiastic embrace of Nick’s investment scam
• 100:04–101:32 — Graveyard scene: Nick claims Tom’s soul
• 109:04–113:52 — Tom’s madness, Bedlam/Adonis scene, Anne’s goodbye
• 115:19–116:32 — Epilogue: moral of the story

Conclusion & Takeaway

Pat and Kathleen illuminate The Rake’s Progress as much more than a pastiche; it’s a vibrant, witty, and tragic meditation on temptation, free will, morality, and the human propensity for self-destruction. The podcast episode stands out for its ability to place the opera in historical, literary, and musical context—leaving listeners eager to hear or see this rarely-performed but highly rewarding work.

“Opera can be challenging, but everyone loves a good story, and a story set to music is even better…our mission is to make opera enjoyable for everyone because we believe opera is for everyone.”
—Pat ([117:53–118:09])

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