Mariinsky Label

Valery Gergiev conductor

ICMA Award 2011 - Best Choral Work 'These performances produce an enormous impression, Oedipus Rex bewitches the power of its influence and insuperable sensation of fatal tragedy, whereas Les Noces incarnates true Russian ritual, without interrupting the connection of Russian folklore with the aesthetics of modern society'

***** Opera Magazine

'the Mariinsky Chorus and players relish the primitivist rhythmic verve of this singular masterpiece' Sunday Times

Less than four years separate the premieres of Les Noces and Oedipus Rex, yet they each represent high-points in two distinct phases of Stravinsky’s career. Although the concept of Les Noces is highly innovative – a ‘dance cantata’ – the music remains rooted in Russian folk traditions. Stravinsky dedicated the ballet to Diaghilev, whose Ballet Russes gave the premiere, and it marks the crowning glory of Stravinsky’s so-called ‘second Russian period’. The opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex is the first great work of Stravinsky’s neo-classical period. It features a major change in his compositional style, influenced in part by the loss of ‘Russian identity’ following his emigration. It is sung in Latin with Jean Cocteau’s original French narration spoken here by Gérard Depardieu.

Digital booklet:

Stravinsky Oedipus Rex / Les Noces (pdf, 4498kB)

Price: £10.99