Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Le Rossignol (1908-9, 1913-4)
Cyrille Dubois (tenor), The Fisherman
Sabine Devieilhe (soprano), The Nightingale
Chantal Santon Jeffery (soprano), The Cook
Laurent Naouri (bass), The Chamberlain
Vincent Sicard (bass), The Bonze
Jean-Sébastien Bou (baritone), The Emperor
Lucille Richardot (contralto), Death
Ensemble Aedes
Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth
rec. live, 15 March, 2023; Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
French text and German & English translations included
Erato 5419762404 [46]
Stravinsky’s first opera has always been known by the French translation of its name, Le Rossignol, rather than its original Russian name Solovey. The opera was written in Russian and had its premiere in 1914 (in Russian) by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (with the singers standing at the sides while dancers mimed the action). When the opera was eventually published in 1923, it was released in a bilingual version, with a prominent French translation by Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi; the work has most often been encountered wearing its French overcoat ever since. Le Rossignol is an opera which amounts to musical Chinoiserie; almost a musical postcard rather than a serious attempt to construct a work of authentic Asian influence. I fell in love with the piece in my late teens and hearing it today still gives me a little thrill, especially when I hear Stravinsky’s delightfully colourful Chinese March which introduces the courtiers into the second scene.
This new release from Erato stems from a production last year at Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, a venue which also hosted the notoriously riotous premiere of Diaghilev’s dance troupe in Stravinsky’s galvanizing Le Sacre du Printemps in 1913. The 2023 production ofLe Rossignol paired it with another short work, Francis Poulenc’s vaudeville opera Les Mamelles de Tiresias. Vaudeville seems to have been a theme that was used in the stage production from which this recording derives, as the cover art shows Sabine Devieilhe’s Nightingale costumed as an exotic oiseau from the Folies Bergère.
The first thing that is clear when listening to this disc is that the playing of the Les Siècles orchestra under director François-Xavier Roth is a revelatory experience to those who are familiar with Stravinsky’s music. Roth’s cool musical clarity and unsentimental approach makes him a modern day successor to Pierre Boulez. When you combine Roth’s approach with the sound of the Les Siècles period instruments the results brings to light a hitherto undetectable combination of sounds that is truly illuminating. The little quavers that follow the opening flute solo sends shivers down one’s spine while the later string slides during the Chinese March have never sounded so much like the Ehru (the Chinese instrument they are meant to imitate). Throughout the score the woodwinds have an acerbity and bite that is equally enlightening. Aditionally Ensemble Aedes prove themselves to be a very accurate sounding chorus in their brief appearances.
The cast is led by the scintillating, diamantine coloratura of Sabine Devieilhe. She leaves nothing wanting in either brilliance or tenderness, a key feature of the nightingale’s music that is often overlooked amid the virtuosity. Jean-Sébastien Bou’s Emperor is richly resonant and regal-sounding in his all-too-brief appearances.
Minor reservations begin to creep in with regards to Cyrille Dubois’ Fisherman. His slightly fluttery timbre is, for some, an acquired taste. I find his Fisherman to be reasonably elegant of line and he certainly comes closer than any other tenor on disc to the still unparalleled Jean Giraudeau on the old Cluytens recording (once available on the Testament label). The other reservation occurs with Chantal Santon Jeffery’s Cook. Jeffery is an important mezzo but here there are signs of a distressingly uneven tone that is becoming quite prominent. However, the role of the Cook is small so this is not a serious blemish on this set.
In the smaller character roles Vincent Sicard makes a very witty sounding Bonze,and his wonderful exclamations of “Tsing-Pe” are a delightful musical vignette. Laurent Naouri shows that he is still a vocal force to be reckoned with as the Chamberlain. Lucille Richardot brings a luscious contralto sound to the Spirit of Death.
This recording was made during a single live performance and there is no audible sign of the presence of an audience. The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has always been an excellent recording venue and the finely detailed sound here is certainly no disappointment, but certainly more might have been achieved in a proper recording studio. However, let that not put off any prospective purchaser. While André Cluytens’ now ancient mono recording of Le Rossignol still has not been surpassed for its singing, Roth’s new Erato recording comes the closest to Cluytens of any of the more recent versions, including Stravinsky’s own recording (review). In the way it clarifies Stravinsky’s use of the orchestral palette the Erato set is now the first choice among stereo versions for this opera. One lives in hope that Erato will oblige music lovers with a separate release of Roth and Les Siècles’ take on the companion piece from this performance, Les Mamelles de Tiresias.
Mike Parr
Other cast
Cyrille Dubois (1st Japanese Ambassador)
Francesco Salvadori (2nd Japanese Ambassador
Rodolphe Briand (3rd Japanese Ambassador)
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