The Rake’s Progress

The Victorian Opera charter is to concentrate on the less familiar operas and so fill in the gaps left by OA. The Rake’s Progressfits this niche nicely and Victorian Opera did themselves proud.

I had seen an OA production with Robert Gard and John Pringle, and recall long scene changes and detailed sets. This production had one simple set with a marble floor and back wall which changed with the lighting. Various pieces of furniture were brought out by the chorus who acted as observers in many scenes. This worked very well.

The surprise of the night was tenor Benjamin Namdarian as Tom. A post-graduate medical student, he was reported to be a choral singer with little stage experience, yet he was so right for the role. His light unforced baroque voice easily handled the high tessitura and had the right sound for the naïve young lad. His acting belied his lack of experience and he looked good.

The experienced bass-baritone, Andrew Collis, was an excellent Nick Shadow, his smooth voice a constant delight. Tiffany Speight captured the innocence of Anne Trulove, but her voice lost focus in the fiendish ending of her aria.

But the most outstanding features were Leon Krasenstein’s innovative set, Steven Heathcote’s movement of the cast, and Richard Gill’s control over his musical resources. Rarely were the voices swamped and I noticed that when the soloists were singing with the chorus, they could still be heard. The chorus singing was precise and balanced.

The costuming was suitably outlandish and the lighting effective. A very worthwhile project.

Graham Ford

Images: Roxane Hislop (Baba the Turk) and Benjamin Namdarian (Tom Rakewell) with Ladies and Gentlemen of the Chorus & Benjamin Namdarian (Tom Rakewell) and Andrew Collis (Nick Shadow) in Victorian Opera's The Rake's Progress. Photographer: Jeff Busby.