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 insists on keeping it close to him in the palace, and 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 as the Emperor is at the threshold of his life and asks for one last song, the real nightingale returns to drive Death away. A musical tale performed on ancient instruments, blending pieces of Baroque music (18th century), by 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 for reflection such as confinement and exile, the relationship between human/animal and natural/artificial: the mechanical bird, devoid of humanity, will only imitate the nightingale’s song, it is nothing but repetition, and will eventually break down. This recording comes from a stage production created and performed by the ensemble La Rêveuse, combining Chinese shadows, Baroque music, and period instruments.