“In China, as you must know, the Emperor is Chinese, and all the people with him are Chinese. It was many years ago now, but for that very reason it is valuable to hear the story before it is forgotten”. Thus Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the Nightingale begins. In the splendid empire it causes pleasure to all. The mighty ruler himself has also heard about its crysal-clear song, and his courtiers have captured the little bird so that it can sing for him. But the nightingale escapes from the Court and returns to the freedom of the woods; the Emperor is so angry that he pronounces it banished and replaces it with a mechanical nightingale. From that moment darkness and death come over his empire, nobody can be happy any more. At this the nightingale returns and with its song prevails even over Death …”

The Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “Nattergalen” in the setting to music by Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) with its dreamy atmosphere unites the most important and most beautiful characteristics of an opera. But the piece was almost not written. In 1908, a year after he had started composing it, he interrupted his work in order to compose the Russian ballets which were later to make him world-famous. When in 1913 he received a commission to complete the opera, he hesitated to continue, because in the meanwhile his composing style had very much changed. But at length he acceded and “Le rossignol” achieved its first performance in May 1914. Following Stravinsky’s dictum that “music must not only be heard, but also seen”, Svenja Tiedt and Tatjana Ivschina have devised a scenic performance of the musical tale. After the enthusiasm of young and old for their stagings of Robin Hood and of Puss in Boots, this season they will bring Stravinsky’s nightingale in spellbinding scenes to both houses of Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

 
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Igor Stravinsky

DIE NACHTIGALL
Nursery story in three acts
Libretto by Stepan Mitussow and the composer after Hans Christian Andersen

 
In German with German surtitles
 

Musikalische Leitung Ralf Lange
Inszenierung Svenja Tiedt
Bühne und Kostüme Tatjana Ivschina
Chorleitung Christoph Kurig
Choreographie Amelie Jalowy
Licht Franz-Xaver Schaffer
Dramaturgie Bernhard F. Loges
 
Die Nachtigall Iulia Elena Surdu
Die Köchin Elisabeth Selle
Der Fischer Corby Welch
Der Kaiser von China Bogdan Baciu
Der Kammerherr Adam Palka
Der Bonze Timo Riihonen
Der Tod Cornelia Berger
Gesandte Run-Rui Du, Jong-Hyun Yoon, Martin Js. Ohu
Chor Chor der Deutschen Oper am Rhein
Orchester Duisburger Philharmoniker