The orchestra Les Siècles, performing on this recording, uses early 20th-century French instruments.
Critical Reception
Critical reception for "Le Rossignol" was mixed, with some critics faulting Stravinsky for abandoning his post-Romantic Russian style, while others felt he hadn't sufficiently advanced the modernist path of "The Rite of Spring."
Notable Performances
The premiere of "Le Rossignol" took place on May 26, 1914, at the Paris Opéra, conducted by Pierre Monteux, with the voices of the Nightingale and Fisherman sung from the orchestra pit, emphasizing its connection to ballet.
Composer Biography
Stravinsky himself considered "Le Rossignol" an "oddity" in his catalog, suggesting in 1962 that it proved he was better suited for ballets than opera at that time.
Composition History
Stravinsky hesitated to return to "Le Rossignol" because he disliked opera, stating in 1913 that his music could be married to gesture or words, but not both simultaneously.
Composition History
Igor Stravinsky began composing "Le Rossignol" in 1908 while studying with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, but set it aside to compose "The Firebird" for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Compositional Technique
Stravinsky deliberately used different musical styles for "Le Rossignol": a refined style for Act I and a more provocative style with pentatonic scales, bitonality, and strident orchestration for the Imperial Palace scenes in Acts II and III.
