La Cenerentola

Rossini and his librettist Jacopo Ferretti dispense with the magic that usually accompanies the Cinderella story. There is no pumpkin, no rats turned into coachmen, no glass slipper and no fairy godmother. Instead there is Alidoro a very worldly adviser to Don Ramiro. Alidoro appreciates Cenerentola's good-natured charm and points Ramiro in her direction. Cenerentola's stepfather is more stupid than wicked and her stepsisters come across as recognizable human-beings rather than pantomime monsters. By taking out the magic and making this a story of ordinary, fallible mortals, Rossini and Feretti have done something rather wonderful and made the story even more magical.

Cecila Bartoli was born to play the role of Cenerentola. Her coloratura is breathtaking, she never sings 16 notes when 32 will do and her stage presence is beguiling. It is difficult to image any singer ever bettering this performance. The tenor role of Don Ramiro is almost as demanding and Raúl Giménez sings it with apparent ease. Enzo Dara is a hilarious Don Magnifico and effortlessly gets round the vocal pyrotechnics of his patter songs. Allessandro Corbelli makes a wonderful fop as Dandini. They are ably supported by Laura Knoop and Jill Grove as the not-so-ugly sisters and Michele Pertusi as Alidoro. The coloratura arias are magnificent but even more impressive are the ensemble pieces when all seven performers are emoting together.

This production, from Houston Grand Opera really sets a standard by which other Cenerentolas will be judged. The film is in widescreen but sadly, in the version I saw, it is captioned for television with the subtitles underneath the picture so you have to watch it in squarevision.

Set in the late 1700's, this production is a combination of opera and pantomime farce. These pantomime aspects include comical costumes for Cenerentola's two stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe - and for the courtiers during their wine cellar scene with Don Magnifico. Some of the interactions, between the characters, are 'played for laughs'. The singing is good, and the Prince and his Cinderella make a cute couple. A fun production!

Although I did like Rossini to begin with, with this, William Tell and especially Barber of Seville I am growing to love and appreciate him here. This La Cenerentola is truly fun and magical and even better than the splendid 1988 production with Ann Murray, Walter Berry and Gino Quillico.

The costume and set design are immaculate and I can't fault the picture quality, sound and video directing either. The music score from Rossini constantly sparkles right from the ensembles, arias and fiendishly difficult pattering(Magnifico's and Dandini's being the most difficult), and this is helped by superb orchestra playing and stylish conducting.

The story I did find initially confusing at times, but a number of scenes and coincidences are so much fun, and I personally find this production livelier than the 1988 one.

The performances are splendid. I like Cecilia Bartoli a lot, and in the title role she truly shines. She looks beautiful, acts charmingly, has a beautiful mezzo soprano registers and handles the colouratura brilliantly. Enzo Dara is hilarious in the role(like Bartolo) of Don Magnifico that is perfect for him, William Manteuzzi has an appealing voice and his Ramiro is nuanced and very musical, Mechele Petuzi is an excellent Alidoro and the step-sisters are such a delight to watch and listen to. Best of all is Alesandro Corbelli(though I prefer Gino Quillico only just) as a brilliant Dandini.

Overall, a truly fun and magical production. 10/10 Bethany Cox