Le Rossignol / Les Mamelles De Tirésias by Stravinsky, Poulenc, Du (2024/2024), Dirigé par Olivier Py, Chef d'orchestre Lucie Leguay, Opera Nice Côte d'Azur, Nice, France

An exceptional evening! Here we have two major masterpieces of the turn of the 20th century, brought together: Stravinsky's dreamlike and wonderful Le Rossignol, and Poulenc's Les Mamelles de Tirésias with their gently offbeat humour. Liberally inspired by Andersen's tale, Stravinsky's Le Rossignol transports us to a mythical China, in which the Emperor – initially charmed by the nightingale's song – is one day seduced by the singing of a mechanical bird offered to him by Japanese emissaries. Angered, the nightingale leaves the court … But he does not forget the disloyal Emperor when he sees the latter threatened by death. This piece was premièred in Paris, in French, on the eve of the First World War … Juxtaposed with this fable on friendship and loyalty, Les Mamelles de Tirésias leads us from drama to comedy. Here, Poulenc sets to a music a play by Apollinaire considered scandalous in its time: the poet portrayed a woman, Thérèse, who resents the macho society in which she lives. And, as unexpected as it may seem, she is transformed into a man! A pochade packed with humour and lucidity, transcended by the always incredibly imaginative music of Poulenc at every turn. Two themes and two universes which have inspired Olivier Py, who directs the piece alongside the young conductor Lucie Leguay, whose love of French music is well known. Show in French with surtitles in French and English.