# Is Rossini's Cinderella worth going to?



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

La Cenerentola will be at the Seattle Opera next month, and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the opera, or has seen it live, and could tell me if it's worth going to.

It seems like the music will be catchy and enjoyable throughout, but is it an operatic experience that warrants $150 - $200 tickets?


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Yes I think it is at the top of Rossini's comic output, alongside Barbiere.

Here is a lovely production to help you judge for yourself:


----------



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes I think it is at the top of Rossini's comic output, alongside Barbiere.
> 
> Here is a lovely production to help you judge for yourself:


Thanks! I would go based on this.. except I think it may be a modern/nontraditional production, now that I've looked through some more of the info. What do you think? http://seattleopera.org/tickets/production.aspx?productionID=121


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

macgeek2005 said:


> Thanks! I would go based on this.. except I think it may be a modern/nontraditional production, now that I've looked through some more of the info. What do you think? http://seattleopera.org/tickets/production.aspx?productionID=121


Yes I've seen this production. It's rather cartoonish and probably its success depends on the singers. But it's not regie - for example Cenerentola is not a sex slave and the prince is not a cocaine lord, so it really depends on how keen you are to see opera!


----------



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes I've seen this production. It's rather cartoonish and probably its success depends on the singers. But it's not regie - for example Cenerentola is not a sex slave and the prince is not a cocaine lord, so it really depends on how keen you are to see opera!


I guess I'll pass this one. The Seattle Opera is in budget constraints and is only putting on three productions next season. I'm hoping they'll all be traditional blockbusters, for revenue's sake... so I'll save my money for now!


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

It does look more like illustrations from a child's book, and fun. 

They have not abandoned gowns with hoops, wigs, breeches, etc.

BTW, if you are one not attending because you want the production to be in exact period costume, you are contributing to that company's budget deficit, and somewhat voting / insisting that the company be more an opera museum than a vital performing company.

If you went, you might actually have more than a good time!


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

La Cenerentola holds up reasonably well to "creative updating", perhaps because the storyline is so universal and yes, it's a singers' opera. I saw and enjoyed a production set in a trailer park and country club. 

It's sad to hear Seattle Opera is struggling. As it is, out of a five opera season this year, two and half of them are Puccini. Be careful what you ask for.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Yes. Cenerentola is great! It's my favourite Rossini opera. I love it to death.


----------



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

Cavaradossi said:


> La Cenerentola holds up reasonably well to "creative updating", perhaps because the storyline is so universal and yes, it's a singers' opera. I saw and enjoyed a production set in a trailer park and country club.
> 
> It's sad to hear Seattle Opera is struggling. As it is, out of a five opera season this year, two and half of them are Puccini. Be careful what you ask for.


I have tickets for La Bohème, but it's actually not one of my favorite operas, nor is Puccini one of my favorite composers. If they stuck to Mozart and Verdi I'd be happy.


----------



## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

macgeek2005 said:


> I have tickets for La Bohème, but it's actually not one of my favorite operas, nor is Puccini one of my favorite composers. If they stuck to Mozart and Verdi I'd be happy.


Then, despite a few personal differences in your wish list of the appearance of the productions sets and costumes, you might wish to go while there is still an opera company in your environs to attend! :-/

I agree, whether it is the symphony or the theater, all those board members wondering what to do to bring in younger people and not lose their older fans has a very simple solution: _"It's the price, dummies."_


----------



## macgeek2005 (Apr 1, 2006)

PetrB said:


> Then, despite a few personal differences in your wish list of the appearance of the productions sets and costumes, you might wish to go while there is still an opera company in your environs to attend! :-/
> 
> I agree, whether it is the symphony or the theater, all those board members wondering what to do to bring in younger people and not lose their older fans has a very simple solution: _"It's the price, dummies."_


I'm going to be subscribing to both the opera and the symphony starting in 2013/14. For some reason it didn't occur to me that I want to do that before the beginning of this season (this is my first year out of college and I was in the habit of not attending concerts), but I'm going to be attending every opera next year no matter what they are.


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes I think it is at the top of Rossini's comic output, alongside Barbiere.
> 
> Here is a lovely production to help you judge for yourself:


Cenerentola is a magical opera and this version is my favourite, Frederica von Stade is not only beautiful but a captivating and enchanting singer as well.
Buy the DVD and avoid the dreadful sounding version that your Seattle company is dishing up! Of all the stories to choose to ruin--unbelievable.
On top of that it is a perfect opera to use to get kids interested ,how are you going to do that with the dreadful scenario that Mamma Scarlatti has described.


----------



## Bardamu (Dec 12, 2011)

La Cenerentola is up there with Il Barbiere di Siviglia and L'italiana in Algeri as the top Rossini Opera comica (and we are talking about a composer that was born to make'em).

In fact at the time it was so popular to eclipse Il Barbiere in popularity.

EDIT:


PetrB said:


> Then, despite a few personal differences in your wish list of the appearance of the productions sets and costumes, you might wish to go while there is still an opera company in your environs to attend! :-/
> 
> I agree, whether it is the symphony or the theater, all those board members wondering what to do to bring in younger people and not lose their older fans has a very simple solution: _"It's the price, dummies."_


Price and awareness.

The former don't mean much if they didn't ever think to attend an Opera or lost interest in it.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

moody said:


> Cenerentola is a magical opera and this version is my favourite, Frederica von Stade is not only beautiful but a captivating and enchanting singer as well.
> Buy the DVD and avoid the dreadful sounding version that your Seattle company is dishing up! Of all the stories to choose to ruin--unbelievable.
> On top of that it is a perfect opera to use to get kids interested ,how are you going to do that with the dreadful scenario that Mamma Scarlatti has described.


You did read Nat's post, right? Because that's not at all what she said.
The Seattle production is cartoonish, with big hoop skirts and bright colours. And some rats, although not the scary Neuenfels kind.


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Aksel said:


> Yes. Cenerentola is great! It's my favourite Rossini opera. I love it to death.


But she was talking about sex slaves and drug lords or did I misunderstand the way she used these comments ?
Firstly,what is regie and secondly if it's just done in a cartoonish way--what's the problem?
The way things are with modernised versions I didn't question my reading of Madam's post--excuse is,I was at the hospital all day yesterday and only got two hours sleep last night.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

moody said:


> But she was talking about sex slaves and drug lords or did I misunderstand the way she used these comments ?
> Firstly,what is regie and secondly if it's just done in a cartoonish way--what's the problem?
> The way things are with modernised versions I didn't question my reading of Madam's post--excuse is,I was at the hospital all day yesterday and only got two hours sleep last night.


What Nat wrote about the actual production:


> Yes I've seen this production. It's rather cartoonish and probably its success depends on the singers.


The rest:


> But it's not regie - for example Cenerentola is not a sex slave and the prince is not a cocaine lord, so it really depends on how keen you are to see opera!


was basically a joke. And Regie(theater) is the practice of staging operas not necessarily according to the directions in the libretto and often adding elements to give the story another dimension. Rather controversial, especially on this forum. I rather like it, though.


----------



## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Aksel said:


> What Nat wrote about the actual production:
> 
> The rest:
> 
> was basically a joke. And Regie(theater) is the practice of staging operas not necessarily according to the directions in the libretto and often adding elements to give the story another dimension. Rather controversial, especially on this forum. I rather like it, though.


Thanks for putting me right and i apologise to the lady for having no sense of humour today.


----------



## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Yes, I was joking, but the joke admittedly depends on some familiarity with egregious (as opposed to enlightening) Regie updatings and reworkings of familiar operas.

The story at Seattle is told relatively straight, but the production is cartoonish in appearance. It's the same version as here


















so read the Amazon reviews to get a better idea of what it's like.


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

macgeek2005 said:


> I'm going to be subscribing to both the opera and the symphony starting in 2013/14. For some reason it didn't occur to me that I want to do that before the beginning of this season (this is my first year out of college and I was in the habit of not attending concerts), but I'm going to be attending every opera next year no matter what they are.


That's terrific. I started subscribing to the symphony a few years after college and the opera a few years later. For me it ended up being a great way to broaden my horizons. Apologies for the whiff of attitude in my previous post.

I still hope you'll reconsider on La Cenerentola. Are cheaper seats available? That's my approach for something like this where I'm curious but not 100% sure. It's how I discovered Berg's Lulu and Handel's works, among other things.

A few more reasons:
It'll give you a larger frame of reference for Rossini than Barbiere (and perhaps Mozart, who was a major influence).
With its relatable story and comic antics its an easier foray into bel canto works than some of the heavier pieces.
You may be worried about the cartoonish production but it is at heart an opera buffa, unlike say Massenet's Cendrillon. Over-the-top-and-then-some is the order of the day.
The only name I recognize in the cast is Rene Barbera, a recent grad of the young artist program here in Chicago. But anyone properly cast in Rossini will necessarily be a great singer. My first Cenerentola was also my introduction to the amazing voice of Juan Diego Florez.


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes I think it is at the top of Rossini's comic output, alongside Barbiere.
> 
> Here is a lovely production to help you judge for yourself:
> [...]


I have that production on DVD, purchased because of von Stade. She done good, the other women done good.


----------



## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

Did Rossini write a bad opera??? 

I love this opera ever since i saw the Houston opera production on tv with cecilia Bartoli and the wonderful Raul Gimenez (and the equally wonderful Enzo Dara). It's a treat of an opera up their with his best. Enjoy!


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Yashin said:


> Did Rossini write a bad opera???
> 
> I love this opera ever since i saw the Houston opera production on tv with cecilia Bartoli and the wonderful Raul Gimenez (and the equally wonderful Enzo Dara). It's a treat of an opera up their with his best. Enjoy!


I find Moïse et Pharaon, at least the first two acts, deadly boring.


----------



## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

Never seen it or heard it before Aksel but will look out for it!


----------



## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

Aksel said:


> I find Moïse et Pharaon, at least the first two acts, deadly boring.


I love Mosè in Egitto (Moise et Pharaon)! The first act is fantastic, the chorus introduction above everything. Perhaps all depends on the story, I usually like operas with historical background.

All Rossini's operas are worthy


----------



## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

moody said:


> Cenerentola is a magical opera and this version is my favourite, Frederica von Stade is not only beautiful but a captivating and enchanting singer as well.
> Buy the DVD and avoid the dreadful sounding version that your Seattle company is dishing up! Of all the stories to choose to ruin--unbelievable.
> On top of that it is a perfect opera to use to get kids interested ,how are you going to do that with the dreadful scenario that Mamma Scarlatti has described.


I was fortunate enough to sing in the Dallas Opera Chorus many years ago (this would have been 1978 or '79) with von Stade in the title role against Rockwell Blake, Claudio Desideri as Dandini, and the incomparably funny singing actor Paolo Montarsolo as Don Magnifico. Wow, what great fun that was!

Flicka was as kind and gracious in person as she was a consummate, effortless coloratura mezzo with superb voice, technique and quite a skilled actress. Everyone loved her, both on stage and in the audience. Mme von Stade if you are out there reading this I will never forget you! You have always been my favorite singer. Well, except for Birgit Nilsson, and you don't do much of the same repertoire!

Best Regards, :tiphat:

George


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I saw the last part on the TV yesterday. Annoyed I forgot to set the recorder. Seemed great fun. Music went with real swing. Whether worth paying 200 dollars for depends on how wild you are about Rossini. Personally I'd buy the DVD.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

It's such a shame about Seattle Opera. I went all the way from UK to see their _Attila_ in January & loved it. Admittedly the story was tweaked a bit but it wasn't a full blown 'regie' production & the Director said afterwards it was done so that the audience could understand the story better. Patronising maybe but he knows his audience & he'll know which operas puts bums on seats in these difficult financial times & which don't.

Anyway back to _La cenerentola_. Andrea Andermann's opera-film version was on TV here & it was fabulous. Well worth seeing if you can catch it at the cinema.

Review


----------



## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

sospiro said:


> It's such a shame about Seattle Opera. I went all the way from UK to see their _Attila_ in January & loved it. Admittedly the story was tweaked a bit but it wasn't a full blown 'regie' production & the Director said afterwards it was done so that the audience could understand the story better. *Patronising maybe **but he knows his audience & he'll know which operas puts bums on seats* in these difficult financial times & which don't.


I'm not too familiar with Seattle Opera, but Speight Jenkins does have the reputation as a savvy programmer. Yeah, he's probably doing what he needs to do to attract an audience from Seattle's presumably youth-slanted population (actually that kind of explains the Cenerentola). One the one hand, putting on Turandot and La Boheme in the same season smells alot like desperation, but maybe he's just luring them in. Puccini was prime bait for me too in my early opera-going days, still is actually.


----------



## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

The Canadian Opera Company did La Cenerentola two years ago, and I found it both musically enjoyable and visually funny. The COC also put on a cartoon-like production, but let's get real - it's the Cinderella story here, not Cavalleria Rusticana. It worked, and the humour wasn't heavy-handed.


----------



## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

waldvogel said:


> The Canadian Opera Company did La Cenerentola two years ago, and I found it both musically enjoyable and visually funny. The COC also put on a cartoon-like production, but let's get real - it's the Cinderella story here, not Cavalleria Rusticana. It worked, and the humour wasn't heavy-handed.


I dunno. I think a cartoon-like production of Cavalleria could be LOADS of fun. And by LOADS of fun I mean not fun at all.


----------

