The Devil Has His Day
Michael Mofidian's Shadow shines in Antony McDonald's brilliant Rake's Progress at The Grange Festival
Jet-black Shadow: Michael Mofidian as ‘Young Nick’ Picture © Craig Fuller
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of John Cox’s staging of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. The production originated at Glyndebourne in 1975 but - thanks to David Hockney’s witty designs, referencing the18th century while remaining indubitably modern - it has been seen all over the world, making it the most successful interpretation of the composer’s only full-length opera in its entire history.
If there has been a downside to Cox and Hockney’s success, it is that their staging has imprinted itself on Stravinsky’s neo-classical score and Auden and Kalman’s ‘cod-Baroque’ libretto so indelibly that it stands as a daunting yardstick for British directors. Some have made their mark, including Matthew Warchus at Welsh National Opera in the mid 1990s, Annabel Arden at English National Opera in 2001, and David McVicar at Scottish Opera in 2012, but none of these productions has been revived by their originating companies.
Outside Glyndebourne, it seems as if The Rake’s Progress no longer appeals to British audiences, which may explain the Grange Festival’s extreme caution in programming only four performances of Antony McDonald’s fabulous new staging. It is the most distinguished Rake I have seen since Simon Rattle led a young Glyndebourne Tour cast in the Cox/Hockney production at Oxford’s New Theatre in the autumn of 1975 - my first experience of this opera, whose musical riches reveal themselves afresh at every encounter.
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