Stravinsky - Le Rossignol ~ Renard / Dessay, McLaughlin, Urmana, Naouri, Caley, Mikhailov, Conlon [Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Import]

Igor Stravinsky (Performer), James Conlon (Artist), Natalie Dessay (Artist), Marie McLaughlin (Artist), Violeta Urmana (Artist), Vsevolod Grivnov (Artist), Albert Schagidullin (Artist), Laurent Naouri (Artist), Maxim Mikhailov (Artist), Olivier Berg (Artist), Wassyl Slipak (Artist), Grzegorz Staskiewicz (Artist), Claire Servian (Artist), Olga Oussova (Artist), Ian Caley (Artist), Orchestre & choeurs de l'Opéra National de Paris (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Igor Stravinsky
• Audio CD (November 16, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Import
• Label: EMI Classics France
• ASIN: B000026D4I
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Nightingale - Act I: Introduction

2. The Nightingale - Act I: Porte au vent, tombant au loin

3. The Nightingale - Act I: Ah! Ah! Ah!

4. The Nightingale - Act I: Voici l'endroit, pres de ces arbes

5. The Nightingale - Act I: Beau rossignol, incomparable oisea

6. The Nightengale - Act II: Des feux, des feux, bien vite

7. The Nightengale - Act II: March Chinoise- O Maitre Magnime

8. The Nightengale - Act II: Chanson du rossignol - Ah, Joe, emplis mon coer

9. The Nightengale - Act II: Au coucher du soleil

10. The Nightengale - Act II: Jeu du rossignol mecanique

11. The Nightengale - Act III: Vois-nous rassembles

12. The Nightengale - Act III: Ah, me voici, o prince magnanime

13. The Nightengale - Act III: Ah, j'aime a t'ecouter

14. The Nightengale - Act III: Cortege solennel

15. The Nightengale - Act III: Bonjour a tous

16. Renard: Marche

17. Renard: Ou ca, ou ca?

18. Renard: Ah! mon Dieu! mon Dieu! Il me tir' par la queue

19. Renard: Je suis sur mon baton

20. Renard: Ah! mon Dieu! mon Dieu! Il m'a pris les ch'veux

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solovyei - A Russian Nightingale, August 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Stravinsky - Le Rossignol ~ Renard / Dessay, McLaughlin, Urmana, Naouri, Caley, Mikhailov, Conlon (Audio CD)

This 'Rossignol' is not to be confused with the orchestral suite 'le chant du rossignol' ('song of the nightingale'), a symphonic poem which the composer drew from the opera later. The story here is based on a fairy tale 'The Emporer's Nightingale' by Hans Christian Andersen, and given a russian folk slant in a libretto by Stravinsky and Stefan Mitusov.

Given the title "le Rossignol" some record buyers will be slightly taken aback when the Fisherman (sung by Vsevolod Grivnov here) starts singing in Russian. There is an early version sung in French, by Cluytens (Testament 1955 mono), but the premiere in Paris in 1914 was sung in Russian, so were the Stravinsky and Boulez versions (1961 Sony, 1991 Erato) and so is this 1999 production from the Opera National de Paris. Hence the traditional french name 'Rossignol' only comes from the location of the premier, the real name of the opera being 'Solovyei' ('nightingale' in Russian).

Paris opera darlings Natalie Dessay and her husband Laurent Naouri are inevitably the stars of the show as the nightingale and the chamberlain respectively, but there is also an impeccable Russian contingent: Grivnov (as above), Violeta Urmana as death, Shagidullin as the emporer, Mikhailov as the bonze.

The second item on this CD is the 15 minute burlesque 'Renard' for two tenors and two basses. This is also based on a fairy tale, this time by Afanassyev, and known to Russians under the title 'Baika'. The four singers do not take roles of the animals but stand among the peasant band while the actions are mimed by clowns. Some reviews have carped that this performance of Renard is not 'earthy' enough, that the singers sing too beautifully, but really there is enough burlesque in the score without the singers hamming it up too.

Incredibly neither the Erato or EMI recordings include the Russian text (despite what the increasingly careless Gramophone Good CD Guide says to the contrary), which means that anyone wanting to follow word-for-word will have to track down a copy of Vol.8 of the now deleted Sony Stravinsky Edition. Even having done this this will not help with 'Renard' because the Sony Edition offers this sung in English.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dont miss this, May 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Stravinsky - Le Rossignol ~ Renard / Dessay, McLaughlin, Urmana, Naouri, Caley, Mikhailov, Conlon (Audio CD)

This is one of my Stravinsky favourites because of splendid Stravinsky music (somewhere between his early modernist period and his early Rimsky-Korsakov style topped with a little... just a little neo classicism). It is not "Rite of spring" style but very Stravinsky anyway and conducting and singing is marvelous.

This must be one of the most underrated operas ever. Dessay is in top form (she is alone worth price of this disc), and if you like operas made after 1910 this is a must have... a very good opera record.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare ear candy, March 4, 2010

By 

David Thierry "[e-mail]" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stravinsky - Le Rossignol ~ Renard / Dessay, McLaughlin, Urmana, Naouri, Caley, Mikhailov, Conlon (Audio CD)

I've loved this charming work since I first heard it long before you were born conducted by Stravinsky with the Washington Opera if memory serves with Reri Grist singing the Nightingale more beautifully than anyone I have heard since. Sony might dig the recording out of the vaults along with Stravinsky's burlesque ballet The Flood based on Noah's experiences. This recording is excellent. The first act is lovely and evocative with a touch of symbolist influence such as unfinished phrases or melodies in the composing. The second act is the orchestra's tour de force portraying the Chinese Court and the third a rather chromatic dirge at the Emperor's death bed miraculously saved by the banished Nightingale, terminated with Stravinskyan brevity. Somehow it all works delightfully.