La Cenerentola

I love La Cenerentola. I admit when I first saw it I was confused by the story, but watching or hearing the opera many more times you do realise how irresistibly charming and funny it is. Definitely in my top 3 Rossini operas along with Il Barbiere Di Siviglia and William Tell. This production is decent, better than the Met production, but lacks the magic and charm of the Murray and Bartoli and especially Ponnelle productions(haven't yet seen Peter Hall's). Its main attributes are the performances of Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez. DiDonato's Angelina/La Cenerentola is charming and immediately identifiable, and she has a beautiful voice and great technique. The role of Ramiro is somewhat limited, but Florez as ever makes the most of it with his effortless high notes, impeccable passage-work and a completely natural stage presence. Bruno DeSimone is a Don Magnifico that manages to be menacing and funny. He manages his difficult pattering well with a voice that starts off a little shaky but gets more rounded as the production progresses. Clorinda and Tisbe occasionally have some blending issues but are very characterful and funny. The orchestral playing is lively and spirited if much too heavy on the use of cymbals at times, and Patrick Summers' conducting is controlled and keeps things moving. There are however some letdowns. David Menendez has a lovely voice and has some moments as Dandini, but lacks the comic timing and natural fun that Gino Quillico and especially Alessandro Corbelli have. Simon Orfila copes very well with the florid passages of his aria, but his Alidoro is overall rather undistinguished. I didn't really care for the production values and staging. Both have their moments but overall I did find the costumes over-exaggerated and the colours saturated too much. The staging does have a cartoon-like effect and this doesn't do much to enhance what is already so fun and charming about La Cenerentola in the first place. The stuffed mice were especially incongruous, I can see why they were included but for me they are used too much. I did find myself thinking I was watching The Nutcracker or The Tales of Beatrix Potter, that is not to diss them in any way but that approach jarred. Overall, has some fine singing from Florez and DiDonato, and is competently performed by everyone else, but on the other hand it did feel overdone and not as funny as it could have been. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

La Cenerentola (2009 TV Movie) was directed by Joan Font. (IMDb lists the director as Xavi Bové. but he was the video director, not the stage director.) Font (who is a man) is the founder and director Comediants, a Catalan theater company.

La Cenerentola is Rossini's version of the Cinderella story. It's recognizable, but there's no fairy godmother or coach that turns into a pumpkin. That's OK--the story shines through, and the opera is a delight.

Joyce DiDonato sings Cinderella (Angelina in this version), and she is absolutely superb. She certainly is a fine actor, but it's her voice that is beyond wonderful.

Juan Diego Flórez, as the prince, is equally outstanding. In my opinion, he's the greatest tenor of our time.

With a great mezzo and a great tenor, this has to be a filmed opera that will be enjoyed by many people for many years.

Another reviewer has taken exception to the wild primary colors and the outlandish staging of the opera. I liked what I saw. After all, it's not La Forza del Destino--it's a fairy tale with a happy ending.

I was particularly interested in the use of six actors as "The Rats." These must have been the concept of director Font, and the actors were presumably from Comediants. (The opera was filmed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, where Comediants is based.) These rats are onstage all the time. Sometimes they watch the action, sometime Angelina pets them, and sometimes they help move furniture. I liked the concept, and the friendly rats fit in with the overall presentation.

For some reason, the six people who rated the opera before me rated it only 7.0. I thought it was great, and rated it 10. (DiDonato, Flórez, and six friendly rats--how could you not like it?)