Description:

After settling in the United States after World War II, Igor Stravinsky discovered the series of paintings known as A Rake’s Progress by the English painter, William Hogarth. The paintings retrace the dissolute life of a libertine in eighteenth-century England in powerfully realistic, satirical detail. Stravinsky decided to turn it into an opera. The libretto by Auden and Kallman embellishes the story narrated by Hogarth by adding the Mephistophelian figure of Nick Shadow, the damned soul of the reprobate Tom Rakewell. Following a journey that takes him from the brothel to the auction house, the libertine ends up in the madhouse. Stravinsky adopts the codes of eighteenth-century opera to score this enlightenment-era narrative. But the musical language, while evoking the memory of Mozart, also tips a nod to Rossini, Verdi, and Handel, whose aesthetic he “unfolds” in a musical cubism that has lost none of its acerbity.

In a video interview, Kyle Ketelsen discusses his role as Nick Shadow, the devil, in "Rake's Progress." He shares insights into the challenge of building up the protagonist only to tear him down and the devil's offer of a game to win his own soul in the end. Ketelsen also speaks about the scenic and visual elements of the production, as well as the themes of sanity, morality, and being that the opera explores. He touches on the use of dissonance and chords, movie music, operatic music, and the ensemble to bring the production to life. Through his discussion, Ketelsen offers a glimpse into the creative process and preparation that went into bringing this complex and compelling character to the stage.