OPERA

The Rake's Progress: See the Opera's Wild Makeover in 10 Photos

See the David Hockney set design that rocked the opera world—now in Portland for a Pacific Northwest premiere.

By Rachel Sandstrom June 11, 2015

Newlyweds Baba the Turk and Tom Rakewell. Photo credit: Portland Opera

Composer Igor Stravinksy’s operatic take on the 18th century William Hogarth morality tale of Tom Rakewell—a ne’er-do-well who goes from riches to rags in a Faustian bargain—got a crazy makeover in 1974, when art megastar David Hockney was enlisted to create a wild new look for a Scottish production.

Now Portland Opera restages Hockney’s vision of The Rake’s Progress with three performances timed to parallel an exhibition at Portland Art Museum.

We get a behind-the-scenes look at Hockney’s set and costume designs in living color—see the complete slideshow below!—as the curtain rises on this Pacific Northwest premiere.

The Rake's Progress plays June 11–14 at Keller Auditorium

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