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La Cenerentola
Dramma giocoso by Gioachino Rossini
Rossini c. 1815, portrait by Vincenzo Camuccini
Other title	La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo
Librettist	Jacopo Ferretti
Language	Italian
Based on	Cendrillon by Charles Perrault
Premiere	25 January 1817 (1817-01-25) Teatro Valle, Rome

La Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo (Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant) is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault. The opera was first performed in Rome's Teatro Valle on 25 January 1817.

Rossini composed La Cenerentola when he was 25 years old, following the success of The Barber of Seville the year before. La Cenerentola, which he completed in a period of three weeks, is considered to have some of his finest writing for solo voice and ensembles. Rossini saved some time by reusing an overture from La gazzetta and part of an aria from The Barber of Seville and by enlisting a collaborator, Luca Agolini, who wrote the secco recitatives and three numbers (Alidoro's "Vasto teatro è il mondo", Clorinda's "Sventurata!" and the chorus "Ah, della bella incognita"). The facsimile edition of the autograph has a different aria for Alidoro, "Fa' silenzio, odo un rumore"; this seems to have been added by an anonymous hand for an 1818 production. For an 1820 revival in Rome, Rossini wrote a bravura replacement, "La, del ciel nell'arcano profondo".

Composition history

The genesis of this work - whose literary and musical aspects were both created with surprising speed – deserves to be told, according to the account given by librettist Jacopo Ferretti. In December 1816, Rossini was in Rome and tasked with writing a new opera for the Teatro Valle, to be staged on St. Stephen's Day. An existing libretto, Francesca di Foix, had unexpectedly been vetoed by the papal censor, leaving no time to amend the text so that it might satisfy all parties involved (censorship, impresario, and authors). A replacement would have to be found.

Ferretti, despite harboring some ill-will against Rossini (the maestro had refused a libretto of his for The Barber of Seville), nonetheless met with the composer and the impresario Cartoni and agreed to join the project. However, when he began to suggest topics for the new work, one after another was rejected: too serious for the Carnival season in which the opera would premiere; too frivolous; too expensive and difficult to stage. Ferretti proposed more than two dozen subjects without success.

Finally, between yawns, and with Rossini half asleep on a sofa, the poet mentioned Cinderella. At this, Rossini roused himself sufficiently to challenge Ferretti on whether he dared write a libretto for the tale; Ferretti retorted with a dare for Rossini to clothe it in music. Rossini then asked the librettist if he had some verses ready to start working on. Ferretti replied, "despite my tiredness, tomorrow morning!" The composer nodded, wrapped himself in his clothes, and fell asleep.

Ferretti worked through the night and had the first parts of the work ready as promised in the morning. He finished the libretto in twenty-two days of breakneck work, and Rossini completed the score in an equally hectic twenty-four days. The poet had serious doubts about the success of this opera; Rossini, on the other hand, predicted that it would conquer Italy in a year and spread to France and England in another: "the impresarios will fight for staging it, as well as the primadonnas for being able to sing it".

La Cenerentola premiered on Jan. 25, 1817 and quickly gained popularity, both in Italy and internationally, despite a cold initial reception by the critics. In short, Rossini's prediction came entirely true, and Cenerentola soon overshadowed even Barber throughout the nineteenth century. Nonetheless, the collaboration between composer and librettist got no easier, and Ferretti wrote only one more libretto for Rossini, the Matilde di Shabran, in 1821.

Performance history

19th century

At the first performance, the opera was received with some hostility, but it soon became popular throughout Italy and beyond; it reached Lisbon in 1819, London in 1820 and New York in 1826. Throughout most of the 19th century, its popularity rivalled that of Barber, but as the coloratura contralto, for which the role was originally written, became rare it fell slowly out of the repertoire.

20th century and beyond

However, from the 1960s onward, as Rossini enjoyed a renaissance, a new generation of Rossini contraltos ensured the renewed popularity of the work.

There are changes from the traditional fairy tale in La Cenerentola because Rossini opted for having a non-magical resolution to the story (unlike the original source), due to obvious limitations in the "special effects" available.

There are a number of recordings of the opera, and, as a staple of the standard operatic repertoire, it appears as number 28 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.

Roles

Synopsis

In this variation of the traditional Cinderella story, the wicked stepmother is replaced by a wicked stepfather, Don Magnifico. The Fairy Godmother is replaced by Alidoro, who is a philosopher and is also the Prince's tutor. Cinderella is identified not by her glass slipper but by her bracelet.

Time: Late 18th century – early 19th century

Place: Italy

Act 1

Angelina, known to her stepfather and stepsisters as "Cenerentola," is forced to serve as the maid in her own home. She sings of a king who married a common girl (“Una volta c’era un rè”). A beggar arrives; her stepsisters, Clorinda and Tisbe, want to send him away, but Cenerentola gives him bread and coffee. Courtiers follow, announcing that Prince Ramiro will come to visit while he searches for the most beautiful girl in the land to be his bride. Cenerentola's stepfather, Don Magnifico, hopes to use this as an opportunity to save his own failing fortune.

When the room is empty, Ramiro enters alone, disguised as a valet. The "beggar" - in truth his tutor, Alidoro - has informed him of a girl in this house who is worthy of the throne. Ramiro intends to find her incognito. Cenerentola returns, and she and Ramiro are attracted to each other (Duet: “Un soave non so che”), but when he asks who she is, she's overwhelmed and flees. Finally, the “prince” arrives — the real valet, Dandini, who has taken his master's place - and Magnifico, Clorinda, and Tisbe fall over themselves to flatter him. He invites the family to the ball; Cenerentola asks to be taken along, but Magnifico refuses (Quintet: “Signor, una parola”). This mistreatment isn't lost on Ramiro. Alidoro, still in his rags, returns to inquire after a third daughter in the house; Magnifico claims she has died. Left alone with Cenerentola, Alidoro promises to take her to the ball himself, and that God will reward her good heart (“Là del ciel nell’arcano profondo”).

The prince and his valet have retired to Ramiro's country house in some confusion, as neither of Magnifico’s daughters resembled the worthy bride Alidoro had described. Clorinda and Tisbe, having followed the "prince," reappear uninvited. Dandini gives them a little test: he offers his "valet" to whichever sister the "prince" does not marry. The sisters are outraged at the idea of marrying a servant. Alidoro then arrives with a beautiful, unknown lady who strangely resembles Cenerentola. Unable to make sense of the situation, they all sit down to supper, feeling as if they are in a dream.

Act 2

Magnifico fears that the arrival of the stranger could ruin his daughters’ chances to marry the prince (“Sia qualunque delle figlie”). Cenerentola, tired of being pursued by Dandini, tells him that she is in love with his servant. Overhearing this, Ramiro is overjoyed and steps forward. Cenerentola, however, tells him that she will return home and doesn’t want him to follow her. If he really cares for her, she says, he will find her. The prince resolves to win the mysterious girl (“Sì, ritrovarla io giuro”).

Meanwhile Magnifico, who still thinks that Dandini is the prince, confronts him, insisting that he decide which of his daughters he will marry. Dandini first advises him to be patient, then reveals that he is in fact the prince’s servant (Duet: “Un segreto d’importanza”). Magnifico is furious.

Magnifico and the sisters return home in a bad mood and order Cenerentola, again in rags, to prepare supper. During a thunderstorm, Alidoro arranges for Ramiro’s carriage to break down in front of Magnifico’s castle so that the prince has to take refuge inside. Cenerentola and Ramiro recognize each other as the various parties comment on the situation (Sextet: “Siete voi?”). When Ramiro threatens Magnifico and his daughters who are unwilling to accept defeat, Cenerentola asks him to forgive them.

At the prince’s palace, Ramiro and Cenerentola celebrate their wedding. Magnifico tries to win the favor of the new princess, but she asks only to be acknowledged at last as his daughter. Born to misfortune, she has seen her life change and invites her family to join her, declaring that the days of sitting by the fire are over (“Non più mesta”).Stories of the Operas: La Cenerentola, New York Metropolitan Opera</ref>

Noted arias

• "Miei rampolli femminini" – Don Magnifico in act 1
• "Come un'ape ne' giorni d'aprile" – Dandini in act 1
• "Si, ritrovarla io giuro" – Prince Ramiro in act 2
• "Questo è un nodo avviluppato" – Ensemble in act 2
• "Nacqui all'affanno ... Non più mesta" – Angelina in act 2

Recordings

References

Notes

1. Osborne, Richard 1986, p. 37: "The prima on 25 January 1817 was full of mishaps and was noisily received"
2. Blog da Rua Nove: La Cenerentola, Cinderella, A Gata Borralheira (in Portuguese)
3. "Opera Statistics for the 2008/09 to 2012/13 seasons show 137 performances". Operabase. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
4. Recordings of La centerentola on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk

Sources

• Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), " La Cenerentola " in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
• Osborne, Charles (1994), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, London: Methuen; Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-71-3
• Osborne, Richard (1990), Rossini, Ithaca, New York: Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1-55553-088-5
• Osborne, Richard (1998), "La Cenerentola", in Stanley Sadie, (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. One. pp. 799–801. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-333-73432-7 ISBN 1-56159-228-5

External links

• La Cenerentola: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Libretto from Stanford University, in Italian only
• Piano/vocal score
• Template:Operabase
• Synopsis of La Cenerentola (Metropolitan Opera)

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• Operas by Gioachino Rossini
• Italian-language operas
• Drammi giocosi
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• Operas based on works by Charles Perrault
• 1817 operas
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• Operas based on fairy tales