You’ve seen the movie, now experience the story of Cinderella in full operatic glory: Rossini’s La Cenerentola is being performed by the Israel Opera starting this week and until April 2.
There are no magic pumpkins or fairy godmothers in this Cinderella story, but the opera’s subtitle, “Goodness Triumphant”, alludes to the same happy end. Besides, the production by directors/designers duo Cecile Roussat and Julien Lubek should be magical enough. The two have background in mime, having studied under Marcel Marceau. While mime doesn’t necessarily remind us of opera, Roussat and Lubek find a mutual concept between the two: both have to do with presenting the actions on the stage as larger than life.
La Cenerentola was written during Rossini’s whirlwind year following the success of Barber of Seville. He had been commissioned to write an opera for the Teatro Valle in Rome, but the subject matter needed to gain the approval of the censor as well as the impresario – no easy task. Ferretti, the librettist and author of this anecdote, had been throwing ideas around and having them immediately rejected by a half-asleep Rossini. Finally he mentioned Cinderella. Rossini, immediately alert, challenged him to write a text for this famous story. Ferretti in turn challenged him to compose it. Each worked frantically: the libretto was written in twenty-two days, the music in twenty-four.
This production will reunite several singers we remember from the Israel Opera’s 2014 production of another Rossini opera and probably his most famous: The Barber of Seville. As Cinderella herself (named Angelina in the opera) we have two wonderful mezzos sharing the 13-performance run: Annalisa Stroppa, who is coming to us fresh from a role at La Scala, and the incredible Israeli mezzo Na’ama Goldman, whose star has been rising since her fateful last-minute appearance as Carmen at the Masada Opera Festival in 2012. As Ramiro, the Prince, two tenors new to our ears will share the role: Kenneth Tarver and Daniele Zanfardino. Baritones Domenico Balzani and Christian Senn, appearing as the Prince’s valet, both sang Figaro in Barber of Seville in 2014.
In place of a fairy godmother we will have a “philosopher”, Alidoro. Ugo Guagliardo, who performed Basilio in the 2010 production of Barber, and our own Noah Briger will be singing the role. Basses Miklos Sebestyen and Radu Pintilie, both in their Israel Opera debuts, will portray the evil stepfather. The evil stepsisters are as evil as ever, and they will be portrayed by four talented Israeli singers: Yael Levita, Tali Ketzef, Anat Czarny and Shahar Lavi. Daniel Cohen and Ethan Schmeisser will conduct.
For more information and for tickets, visit the Israel Opera website at www.israel-opera.co.il.
