La Cenerentola, 1953
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/comments/1scthkh/la_cenerentola_1953/

It has been far too long since I've listened to a full opera, and I

decided it was time to begin again. I actually read the libretto to

this some time ago, but I hadn't listened to the work itself until

tonight.

Libretto
https://archive.org/details/lp_la-

cenerentola_gioacchino-rossini

First Recording Tried
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ22-8ztr_g

Recording Used
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsmGQ6o7g8c

(Note: The libretto that

I used, while the exact same translation, was from a different link,

with a different introduction. Unfortunately, I can't find it, but

this one seems to be formatted a bit better and is actually directly

from the album of the performance being reviewed, complete with short

notes on the singers!)
The story was Cinderella, without the magical

elements, as was explained in the introduction. However, there were

a few clever twists along the way. There is some wonderful trickery

involved when the prince and his valet reverse places and tease the

unsuspecting stepfather (no stepmother here) and stepsisters. I

really enjoyed watching them go from bad to worse, sticking their

feet in their mouths as the phrase goes. It was also fun watching

Ramiro, Dandini, and Alidoro plot things, especially since I knew

something would happen but not exactly what, until it did. That

said, this is the first time I found the libretto of an opera to be

disturbing. I always preface such remarks with the idea that it's

not real life, and it should not be taken as such.
I'm also not one

for political correctness and modernising works. Even so, I was

shocked when Don Magnifico literally threatened twice to murder his

own stepdaughter! I would expect a threat of wipping, going to bed

without dinner, or being locked in her room, but that was a bit much.

I was also uncomfortable with the ending. It is made clear that the

actions against Cinderella were bad. The prince was even willing to

punish the father and sisters. But Cinderella acted as if all of it

was just a dream or a game (her own words) and actually forgave them,

going so far as to hug them and welcome them back into her new life!

I'm not a psychologist, but this made me think of Stockholm syndrome,

or at the least, a woman so badly abused that she has no idea that

such actions should be punished. It's all for a tidy, happy ending,

but the message seems to be that it's perfectly fine to abuse your

child, and that, if you're abused, you should just smile and accept

it. Had this been written by Verdi or Puccini, I'm sure the ending

would have been much more satisfactory, but then, of course, it

wouldn't be a comedy. In keeping with a light theme, the best ending

I've seen would have been from the modern film Ever After, in which

Cinderella asked that they be treated as she was, and the sisters

were seen being led into the kitchen to become maids.

While the

libretto may have raised questions, no such thing can be said of this

performance, which was excellent. I was actually going to listen to

another version, ironically, also from 1953, because I was quite

familiar with at least three of the singers, namely Giulietta

Simionato, Giuseppe Taddei, and Italo Tajo, plus the conductor,

Tullio Serafin. But the sound quality was terrible, and I say this

as someone who is accustomed to acoustic and live recordings!

However, this turned out to be a very good thing, because I found

several new singers to enjoy, particularly Marina de Gabarain, and

Juan Oncina (also in the first recording). De Marina Gabarain has

one of the best female voices I've ever heard in opera, and Juan

Oncina is a very sweet leggero. The music itself was absolutely

marvellous. Not once did I feel that any of it dragged. This is

definitely my sort of opera, both in story line and in music, from

melodies to harmonies. The sound effects during the storm were also

great.

I highly recommend this opera to anyone who wants to have a

night of wonderful music combined with a great story and performance.

I'm sure there are those who will say that, since this is a

Rossinian work, these singers weren't the best for it. But in that

case, it would be necessary to find those who truly studied bel canto

as authentically as possible, and while I'm sure they exist, I dont

know anyone like that, unless we go all the way back to singers like

Patti and Battistini.

#opera #review #Rossini