Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress – Toledo Opera (2011) – American Record Guide Vol. 74, No. 2

March/April 2011

Toledo Opera has entered a brave new world. Now the name of the game is not popularity but quality. Even more daring was this season’s The Rake’s Progress. James Marvel’s staging was indeed (forgive me) marvelous. It was reserved and clear-headed, creating living versions of Hogarth’s etching. Marvel emphasized the tragedy of the story while retaining the comedy of Mother Goose and Baba the Turk.

– Charles H. Parsons