The Rake's Progress Is the June 11, 2022, Saturday Matinee Broadcast

Summary: The Rake's Progress is the June 11, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, airing as the last of the 2021-2022 season's Saturday matinee opera broadcasts.

Sir Jonathan Miller's staging of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress experiences its third Met Opera revival in the 2021-2022 season; Sir Jonathan debuted his new production in the 1997-1998 season; 1999 oil on canvas portrait of Sir Jonathan Miller by Scottish figurative painter Stephen Conroy (born 1964); National Portrait Gallery, London UK; Jan. 15, 2015: Caroline (The hills are alive*), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress is the June 11, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast, scheduled as the last of 24 Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season.

The Rake's Progress by Russian-born composer, conductor and pianist Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882-April 6, 1971) receives four performances in the 2021-2022 season. The first two performances took place Monday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m., and Friday, June 3, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The third and fourth, closing performances are scheduled for Tuesday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, June 11, at 1:00 p.m.

The 2021-2022 season's presentation of The Rake's Progress represents the third revival of the new production debuted Thursday, Nov. 20, 1997, by Sir Jonathan Miller (July 21, 1934-Nov. 27, 2019). The English opera and theatre director had made his Met Opera debut Monday, Feb. 25, 1991, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Kát'a Kabanová by Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928).

Susanna Mälkki is the third revival's conductor. The Finnish conductor had made her Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of L'Amour de Loin by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (born Oct. 14, 1952).

Ben Bliss sings the title role of Tom Rakewell, who is cursed with insanity by Nick Shadow but who finds some redemption in the love of his fiancée, Anne Trulove, whom he imagines as Venus. The American tenor had made his Met Opera debut Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, as Vogelgesang in the opera company's 410th performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by German Romantic era composer-librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

The Rake's Progress originally numbered as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Ben Bliss. He was scheduled to sing Pylade in the Feb. 26, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Iphigénie en Tauride by 18th-century German classical composer Christoph von Gluck (July 2, 1714-Nov. 15, 1787). But in July 2021 Met Opera cancelled the opera as part of changes necessitated by technical preparations ensuing from the opera house's 16-month closure.

Golda Schultz sings Anne Trulove, who saves her fiancé's soul from Nick Shadow and visits him in the insane asylum, where he imagines her as Venus to his Adonis. The South African soprano had made her Met Opera debut Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, as Pamina in the opera company’s 433rd performance of Die Zauberflöte by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791).

Christian Van Horn sings Nick Shadow, who tempts Tom Rakewell away from Anne Trulove but ultimately loses possession of Tom's soul to the Queen of Hearts in a card game. The American bass-baritone had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 6, 2013, as Pistola in the opera company’s 176th performance of Falstaff by 19th century opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901).

The Rake's Progress numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Christian Van Horn. He sang the title role of Figaro in the April 9, 2022, Saturday matinee opera broadcast of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.

Alice Coote sings Baba the Turk, the bearded lady whom Nick Shadow convinces Tom Rakewell to marry. The British lyric mezzo-soprano debuted April 12, 2006, in the trouser role of Cherubino in the Metropolitan Opera’s 425th performance of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

James Creswell sings Trulove, Anne's father, whose doubts about the character of his daughter's fiancé prove to be justified. The American bass had made his Met Opera debut Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, as Ashby in the opera company's 108th performance of La Fanciulla del West by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Sir Jonathan's production team for The Rake's Progress comprises Peter J. Davison, set designer; Judy Levin, costume designer; and Jennifer Tipton, lighting designer. All three designers made their Met Opera debut in the 1997-1998 season's debut of the new production.

The production's first revival had taken place in the 2002-2003 season. The second revival was held in the 2014-2015 season. Sir Jonathan's production numbers as Met Opera's first new staging of The Rake's Progress since the opera's addition to the opera company's repertoire.

The Metropolitan Opera House's United States premiere of The Rake's Progress occurred Saturday, Feb. 14, 1953, in the composer's presence. The opera received six performances in the 1997-1998 season.

The takeaways for The Rake's Progress as the June 11, 2022, Saturday matinee broadcast are that Stravinsky's moralistic opera about love, temptation and redemption airs as the 2021-2022 season's closing Saturday matinee opera broadcast; that the 2021-2022 season's four performances of The Rake's Progress represents the opera house's third revival of the 1997-1997 season's new production by Sir Jonathan Miller; and that The Rake's Progress numbers as the second of two Saturday matinee opera broadcasts in the 2021-2022 season for Christian Van Horn.

Igor Stravinsky attended The Metropolitan Opera's United States premiere of his moralistic, redemptive opera, The Rake's Progress, on Saturday, Feb. 14, 1953; photo credit Sedgwick "Sedge" LeBlang (July 2, 1910-June 1977): Opera News @OperaNews, via Facebook April 23, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Sir Jonathan Miller's staging of Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress experiences its third Met Opera revival in the 2021-2022 season; Sir Jonathan debuted his new production in the 1997-1998 season; 1999 oil on canvas portrait of Sir Jonathan Miller by Scottish figurative painter Stephen Conroy (born 1964); National Portrait Gallery, London UK; Jan. 15, 2015: Caroline (The hills are alive*), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jonathan_Miller_by_Stephen_Conroy_(16250662079)_(2).jpg

Igor Stravinsky attended The Metropolitan Opera's United States premiere of his moralistic, redemptive opera, The Rake's Progress, on Saturday, Feb. 14, 1953; photo credit Sedgwick "Sedge" LeBlang (July 2, 1910-June 1977): Opera News @OperaNews, via Facebook April 23, 2015, @ https://www.facebook.com/OperaNews/posts/10152725989142466/

For further information:

Debut: Alice Coote.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 351491 Le Nozze di Figaro {425} Metropolitan Opera House: 04/12/2006.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351491

"Debut: James Creswell." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357024 La Fanciulla del West {108} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/17/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=351491

"Debuts: David Pittsinger, Peter J. Davison, Judy Levin, Jennifer Tipton." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330180 New Production The Rake's Progress {9} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/20/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322990

“Debuts: Golda Schultz, Lucas Mann.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356741 Die Zauberflöte {433} Metropolitan Opera House: 09/27/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356741

"Debuts: Johannes Martin Kränzle, Benjamin Bliss, Martin Gantner." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355664 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg {410} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/02/2014. Metropolitan Opera Radio Sirius XM channel 74 Broadcast live Streamed at metopera.org.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355664

“Debuts: Peter Van Praet, Paolo Fanale, Carlo Bosi, Christian Van Horn.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 355173 Falstaff {176} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/06/2013.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355173

"Debuts: Susanna Mälkki, Sybille Wilson." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356550 Metropolitan Opera Premiere L'Amour de Loin {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/01/2016.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356550

“Debuts: William Burden, David Robertson, Anthony Ward, Dona Granata, Howard Harrison.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 322990 The Makropulos Case {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 01/11/1996.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322990

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera's 2021-2022 Season Has 28 Saturday Matinee Broadcasts." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2021/11/met-operas-2021-2022-season-has-28.html

"New Production: The Rake's Progress." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330180 New Production The Rake's Progress {9} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/20/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=322990

Opera News @OperaNews. "Here's a 1953 photo of Hilde Gueden and Igor Stravinsky rehearsing Anne Truelove's aria before premiere of The Rake's Progress at the Metropolitan Opera! Stravinsky's opera returns to the Met on May 1st! #tbt." Facebook. April 23, 2015.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/OperaNews/posts/10152725989142466/

"United States Premiere: The Rake's Progress." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 161960 United States Premiere In the presence of the composer The Rake's Progress {1} Matinee Broadcast ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 02/14/1953.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=161960