CINDERELLA
If one thinks of Cinderella as a children’s fairy tale, a la Charles Perrault or Walt Disney, featuring fairy godmothers, pumpkin coaches, and glass slippers, then Rossini’s treatment of the story in his opera La Cenerentola (“Cinderella”) may seem in many ways unfamiliar, even strange. Rossini chose to turn the story into a sophisticated, sentimental romantic comedy that, by its end, has also become a powerful parable of forgiveness and understanding. In this Cinderella there is no magical transformation from rags to riches–love itself brings about the change, and the metamorphosis that ensues comes as much for those around Cinderella as for the girl herself.
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All of this becomes abundantly clear in Chicago Opera Theater’s magnificent new production of Cinderella, a Rossini masterpiece that contains some of the finest music to be found in his 30-some operas. A beautiful and tender score with all of the drama and profundity essential to great opera, Cinderella is often neglected because of the demands made on its performers, especially the title role’s fiendishly difficult coloratura mezzo-soprano arias.
Louis Salemno conducted the work slowly–at times letting it become a bit ponderous, but still with great control, balance, and precision. His masterful direction caught the orchestral color and subtle details of the score that in Rossini are often lost.
