The rake's progress

"An entirely self-recommending classic thats not to be missed, whether you want the cerebral pleasures of tracing artistic influences or simply a cracking all-round operatic experience".

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"De spektakulære, Hollywood-agtige scenerier virker snart naive, snart ironiske, og slutscenen, hvor hovedpersonen dør på sindssygeanstalten med sin trofaste ungdomskæreste som afmægtig tilskuer, er rørende. Musikalsk udmærkes forestillingen af en klar og vital direktion fra japaneren Kazushi Ono og en række glimrende, engelsksprogede sangere. Absolut anbefalelsesværdig".

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"Dette er en af de bedste operaer fra det 20. århundrede. Og så til udførelsen: Den er noget nær perfekt. Iscenesættelsen er begavet, og historien virker fængslende og gribende. Man bliver engageret ... Her møder vi flittige og dygtige sangere, som både kan synge og spille komedie på højeste plan ... Man er med fra først til sidst, føler sig godt underholdt og bliver lidt klogere på livet og menneskene. Kan man ønske sig mere af en opera?".

"Andrew Kennedy takes all this in his stride, and his always fresh, appealing tenor ensures we retain our sympathy through Tom's piteous downfall from indolence to insanity ... Doubtless Kazushi Ono must take credit for some slickly cinematic pacing, but in truth I hardly noticed him or the prompt orchestral contribution. This is a show to be seen ... and a model of its kind".

"The air the piece breathes ... is so redolent of the 18th century that it seems perverse to place it in Los Angeles in the 1950s, as Robert Lepage has done ... Musically it is first-rate. Andrew Kennedy in particular sings the Rake superbly".

Vurdering (performance): 4/5.

Vurdering (presentation): 4/5.

"Vurdering: Diapason d'or" - "Chanteurs de premier plan, comédiens exceptionnels - quelle équipe! Le London Philharmonic déploie ses sortilèges, avec Vladimir Jurowski à la baguette. Le chef russe s'y entend pour souligner les arêtes vives et la transparence d'une partition unique en son genre. La fable fait mouche; on reste émerveillé".

"This is a production full of colour and light, and brimming with wit ... first-rate cast. Miah Persson underpins the heartfelt love with a steely determination ... An absolute triumph".

Vurdering (performance): 5/5.

Vurdering (picture & sound): 4/5.

"David Hockney's designs have never looked as good as they do here, captured with razor-sharp picture quality ... In other respects, though, the production has started to feel its age, the atmosphere here being sweetly naive ... Topi Lehtipuu ... sings with elegance. Miah Persson is almost his equal ... The combination of Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra ensures crisp ensemble of the highest quality".

"Both visually and aurally we get a witty and sometimes troubling flickering between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries ... As you're watching, it seems absolutely right. The freshness of this new release, though, comes just as much from the performance as it does from the staging ... Miah Persson ... offers a tonal warmth ... Nearly as good is the honey-toned Topi Lehtipuu ... This would deserve the highest recommendation".