Stravinsky Opera

The New Zealand Opera Company will late this month present the Australasian premiere of Igor Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress" at the Opera Centre, Karori.

The "Rake's Progress", first performed in Venice in 1951, is based on a series of Hogarth's prints and is a fable resembling a morality play. Tom Rakewell sells his soul to the devil through greed, false glory, and the brothel. He finally loses his sanity.

Musically, the opera is of great transparency and rhythmic diversity and contains arias, recitatives and ensembles with all solo parts being written in a florid style.

Raymond Boyce's set, ingeniously designed for simplicity, overcomes the problems of presenting nine different scenes in the Opera Centre's intimate atmosphere. By incorporating two special machines and supplementing these with smaller ones, much of the scenery will be projected with slides on to special wall linings. This method allows great scope for both colour and effect. This complements the semi-modern costumes.

The opening night, 22 May, is also a special "Student Night" at concession rates. "Dinner, Champagne, and Opera" evenings at reasonable prices, similar to those which were completely sold out when last presented, will be available on the two Saturday evenings, 31 May and 7 June.

Special vouchers will be issued to the audience entitling them to early preferential bookings for the Wellington season of "Carmen" with Kiri te Kanawa and a Covent Garden tenor.

The cast for "Rake's Progress" includes Emily Mair, Dorothy Hitch, Lily Latisheva, George Metcalfe, Paul Neal, Grant Dickson, Ken Casey, John Thompson is the producer, Juan Matteucci the musical director, chorus master Harry Brusey, O.B.E., and a full chorus and orchestra.

• Picture shows Stravinsky receiving standing ovation during his concert in Wellington in 1961 when he conducted some of his own works including "Appollon Musagate", and the Lullaby and Finale of the "Firebird".