The soundtrack is drawn from a 1999 recording by the Paris Opera Orchestra, conducted by James Conlon.

Le Rossignol is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a Chinese emperor who loses interest in a beautiful nightingale's song when a flashy mechanical bird comes to his court.

"Stravinsky himself said that it wasn't enough to hear the music, but that it should be seen too," Chaudet said in a feature posted on the PBS web site. "The very way he wrote the score, the multitude of sounds, registers, colors, lights, and instruments, already make the opera almost pictorial."

In New York, Le Rossignol will be seen tonight at 8 p.m. and on December 25 at 3 p.m. Check local listings for other outlets.