In the 1951 opera The Rake’s Progress, which artist created the libretto with W. H. Auden?

Chester Kallman created the libretto of The Rake’s Progress with W. H. Auden.

The Rake’s Progress is an opera by Igor Stravinsky that premiered in Venice in 1951. Its libretto was written by the poet W. H. Auden and his collaborator Chester Kallman. The work follows Tom Rakewell as he abandons Anne Trulove, pursues pleasure and wealth, and eventually suffers ruin.

The opera was inspired by William Hogarth’s series of paintings and engravings, A Rake’s Progress. Its title and moral trajectory therefore come from Hogarth, while its music comes from Stravinsky and its words come from Auden and Kallman.

Kallman is sometimes overlooked because Auden was the more famous literary name. He was nevertheless a credited co-librettist and later collaborated with Auden on other operatic projects. This question is separate from the opera’s individual arias, including “I Go, I Go,” which belongs to the same work.