SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Rossini, La Cenerentola: Soloists, Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier (directors), Christian Fenouillat (sets), Agostino Cavalca (costumes), The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra conducted by Evelino Pidò. Covent Garden, London 22.12.2007 (JPr)


‘Tis the season to be jolly! As that typically British Christmas institution of pantomime – it has never exported well – invades our regional theatres with soapstar spectaculars it caused the Royal Opera to revive the 2000 production by Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier of Rossini’s La Cenerentola.

It is worth looking back at the history of this famous fairytale … Oh yes it is! Charles Perrault is responsible for the most popular version of the Cinderella story and the popularity of his 1697 tale was because of his added to the earlier version the pumpkin, the fairy-godmother and glass slippers (these would not stretch unlike the original fur ones). Another well-known version was recorded by the Grimm brothers in the nineteenth century. The tale is called Aschenputtel and the help here is not from a fairy-godmother but the wishing tree that grows on her mother's grave. In typical Grimm fashion in this version, the step-sisters try to solve the problem of shoe size by cutting off parts of their feet in order to trick the Prince that the slipper actually fits. The prince is alerted to their deception by two pigeons that peck out the step-sisters’ eyes and they are blind beggars for the rest of their lives.

In 1804 Cinderella was first seen in its pantomime guise at London’s Drury Lane Theatre. In the traditional pantomime the opening scene is set in a forest with a hunt underway and it is here that Cinderella first meets Prince Charming and his ‘right-hand man’ Dandini (whose name and character comes directly as we shall see from the Rossini opera) Cinderella mistakes Dandini for the Prince and the Prince for Dandini. Her father, Baron Hardup, is under the thumb of his two step-daughters (the Ugly sisters) and there is a servant called Buttons who is Cinderella's friend. The Baron is continually harassed by The Broker's Men for rent he owes. The Fairy Godmother magically creates a coach (from a pumpkin), footmen (from mice) and a coach driver (from a frog), and a beautiful dress (from rags) so that Cinderella can go to the ball. She must, of course, return by midnight as at it is then that the spell ceases and the story goes on towards its happy ending.

In the opera we still have the tale of the poor scullery maid and her cruel step-sisters, their ne'er-do-well father and the charming Prince. The Prince's search for the most beautiful girl in his realm to take as his Princess sets off a series of disguises and deceptions to be sure that the woman he chooses loves him for himself, not his wealth and title. Cenerentola (Cinderella) is cleaning her step-father Don Magnifico's castle, while her step-sisters, Clorinda and Tisbe, constantly bicker. Alidoro, Prince Ramiro's tutor, comes by disguised as a beggar. Clorinda and Tisbe are horrified to have such an unpleasant visitor, but Cenerentola shows him hospitality and gives him food. Prince Ramiro is throwing a banquet that evening, where his future wife will be chosen. Clorinda and Tisbe are invited and the Prince's entourage arrives to collect them. All is not as it seems as the Prince and his servant Dandini have swapped guises, so that the Prince might find the woman that Alidoro has described as the perfect wife. Don Magnifico, however, will not allow Cenerentola to leave the castle and he tells Don Ramiro and Dandini that his third daughter has died. However Alidoro returns, still disguised, to take Cenerentola to the banquet himself.

Back at the palace, Don Ramiro and Dandini are unable to understand why Alidoro thinks one of Don Magnifico's daughters would be a suitable match. Clorinda and Tisbe are also not too impressed when Dandini offers Prince Ramiro - still in disguise - as a suitable husband, and they are astonished when someone who looks rather like Cenerentola appears with Alidoro. Cenerentola, meanwhile, becomes thoroughly fed up of being chased by the disguised Dandini, and says that she prefers his servant. As the evening draws to a close, the real Prince Ramiro announces himself to Cenerentola and she gives him a bracelet (no offending ankles need be shown now on stage). She says that he must come and find her where she lives. Back at Don Magnifico's castle Cenerentola is again dressed in rags and working away, Prince Ramiro's carriage conveniently breaks down outside; once he enters the castle to take shelter, he recognises Cenerentola ... cue happy ending once again.

When La Cenerentola was written, Rossini was just 25 years old, but his other operas had already brought him exceptional popularity in Italy and elsewhere throughout Europe. La Cenerentola was written for the impresario of the Teatro Valle in Rome, Pietro Cartoni, and it was to be performed during Rome’s carnival season. It was 1816 and Jacopo Ferretti was the librettist chosen. He suggested basing the new opera on Perrault’s French fairytale Cendrillon because the subject was uncomplicated and comical. Ferretti wrote the libretto in 22 days and Rossini composed the music in only 24 days! The process was hastened by recycling music from previous operas such as the overture from La gazzetta. Apart from Rossini's talent for comedy, the opera is noted for the composer's acrobatic vocal score with great agility required by the singers. This was music more difficult than anything Rossini had previously composed. He was following the tradition of bel canto opera with ornate vocal scenes and ensembles, as in the sextets of the first and second act finales. He previously employed this in the finales of the Il barbiere di Siviglia.

So how did this feel-good confection arrive on the Covent Garden stage in December 2007? Primarily it too was as a superstar vehicle for the Czech mezzo Magdalena Kožená as Cenerentola making her Royal Opera debut … the word ‘vehicle’ is apposite as one of the highlights of Christian Fenouillat’s spare 1950’s designs is the blue limousine used to transport her to the banquet. The film worlds of auteurs like Visconti, Fellini and De Sica are not far away in the sets and Agostino Cavalca’s costumes. As is obvious from the story there is an undercurrent of vanity, bullying, and resentment to the fairytale and Leiser and Caurier do not shy away from this. In fact with Don Magnifico actually fondling his step-daughters’ breasts at one point they even make it more disturbing at times.

Illness had already deprived the evening of the Simone Alberghini as Dandini when it was announced that at the last moment Lorenzo Regazzo as Alidoro was also ill and the role would be ‘walked’ by staff director, Andrew Sinclair, and sung from the side of the stage by Kostas Smorignas. So this had all the potential of a disaster yet it was to the credit of all the replacements in their various ways that an element of triumph was pulled from the cinders.

What was so lacking for me in the recent new staging of L’elisir d’amore was singers capable of being comic in the leading roles. Here the French baritone Stéphane Degout was a superbly droll Dandini and the Italian baritone Alessandro Corbelli an outstanding Don Magnifico, the latter bringing an eye-rolling style of opera buffo singing back to the Covent Garden stage that I have not seen since the days of Geraint Evans. They were given strong support by Elena Xanthoudakis and Leah-Marian Jones as the step-sisters. (I would suggest these four principals for the next revival of L’elisir d’amore and then it would get the laughs it needed when I saw it.)

Making his debut in the role Toby Spence was a very personable Don Ramiro without totally convincing me that he was a Rossini tenor, to his credit he got through the role generally well but the effort showed in the cruel top lines of his big aria and the high Cs.

As for Magdalena Kožená I have to assume the role of Cenerentola is just not the right one for her. I have not heard her before so must assume this or that it was just an off night? Birgit Nilsson’s once remarked that to sing a big role all that was needed is ‘comfortable shoes’ Magdalena Kožená seemed to take this a bit too far as she wore an unflattering pair of brown boots throughout the entire evening. (It is unclear from previous production photographs whether these were worn before.) Unfortunately she does not seem that much of an actress with awkward, gawky movement across stage – perhaps not helped by those boots. She revealed a very warm contralto-like chest voice that was never going to get near the high notes required in her concluding showpiece aria. Diction and projection also needed some attention elsewhere.

It was left to the Italian conductor, Evelino Pidò, who conducted the performances in 2002, to emphasise the wit, darkness, style and abundant charm of this piece by his bright and breezy account of the score and expert ensemble (considering all the difficulties) of the in-form Royal Opera orchestra, soloists and chorus. I wondered before sitting down how I would manage nearly three hours of Rossini but this old Scrooge came away from Covent Garden – despite some reservations – full of good cheer!


Jim Pritchard