Le Rossignol et l'empereur de Chine

Description

An Andersen tale with La Rêveuse: a fascinating journey into ancient China. In China, the song of a nightingale captivates everyone, including the emperor, who demands to keep it near him at the palace, forever... until he receives a gift: a mechanical nightingale. The emperor and the court admire this automatic nightingale, which repeats its melodies on demand. The real nightingale takes the opportunity to escape. But a machine always ends up breaking down, and when the Emperor is on the brink of death and calls for one last song, the real nightingale returns to ward off Death. A musical tale played on ancient instruments, blending pieces of Baroque music (18th century), Maurice Ravel, and contemporary pieces by Vincent Bouchot. An Andersen tale published in 1843, adapted and set to music by the ensemble La Rêveuse. The tale explores themes of reflection such as confinement and exile, the relationship between man and animal, and natural versus artificial: the mechanical bird, devoid of humanity, only imitates the nightingale's song; it is mere repetition and will eventually break. This recording comes from a show staged and performed by the ensemble La Rêveuse, which combines shadow puppetry, Baroque music, and period instruments.