Stravinsky's latest opera, The Adventures of a Rake, was staged at the Helikon Opera

Artistic director of Helikon Opera, People's Artist of Russia Dmitry Bertman presented Igor Stravinsky's latest opera "The Adventures of a Rake" on stage in Moscow. In the center of the plot is the story of a man who loses himself, exchanging his soul for the tinsel of fake glitter.

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Bertman had previously staged this opera in Vienna and Helsinki. Musicologists call this work a masterpiece for all time, which, according to the directors, is reflected in the present day.

"The composer, as a genius stylist, plays with genres and forms: in the opera there are also graceful arias by da saro, referring to Handel and Mozart, witty buff ensembles, and even almost wandering street tunes. All of this is reflected through his unique musical language," conductor Valery Kiryanov told Izvestia.

Stravinsky took all the best from Mozart — clarity of form, elegance of writing — and passed it through the prism of modernity, Bertman is sure. The director turned this parable into a story about how easy it is to lose yourself in the pursuit of illusory happiness.

"The result is an opera that speaks to us in the language of the 21st century. But most importantly, the opera turned out to be prophetic. Created in 1951, it has become an accurate diagnosis of our time. For me, [the main character of the opera] Tom Rakewell is the embodiment of millions of young people, our contemporaries, who want everything at once: wealth, status, an easy life without obligations. The Volume of the XVIII century and the Volume of the XXI century are the same person. The scenery changes, but the essence remains: the eternal struggle between spirit and flesh, between high and low, between love and selfishness," Bertman commented.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

The Devil wears a moth: Stravinsky's last opera was staged at the Helikon