La Cenerentola

• La Cenerentola (pronunciation) is a “dramma giocoso” (playful drama) in 2 acts, written in 1817. The opera is based on Charles Perrault’s Cendrillon, and the libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti.
  • The opera was written AND premiered in just over three weeks (!), with the prima taking place at the Teatro Valle in Rome in 1817.
  • *Unlike “opera buffa,” “dramma giocoso” mixes buffo antics with a degree of pathos.
• Rossini’s Cinderella opera was incredibly popular and quickly performed around Italy, across the European continent, and in America.
• A note about the Overture – Rossini never wrote an overture for La Cenerentola but instead borrowed the overture from a previous opera, La gazzetta, and also added material from a less popular aria from The Barber of Seville.
• Fun fact – in 1844, La Cenerentola became the first opera to be performed in Australia.
  • Additional fun fact – Pauline Viardot was one of the interpreters of the title role during Rossini’s time.¹
• Note about the piece from JP: Rossini reused a clarinet melody from his 1815 opera, Torvaldo e Dorliska.
• Rossini’s version of Cinderella differs quite a bit from the Disney fairytale, including:
  • No fairy godmother – Rossini’s comparable role is for a philosopher named Alidoro who helps the title character.
  • No stepmother – instead, Rossini’s protagonist has to deal with her cruel stepfather, Don Magnifico.
  • No glass slipper – Rossini’s identifying item is Cinderella’s bracelet.²

La Cenerentola synopsis from The Met

1. Richard Osborne, “Cenerentola, La,” Grove Music Online (2002), accessed August 11, 2023, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-5000008249.
2. Francisco Salazar, “On This Day: How Rossini’s ‘La Cenerentola’ Differs With Disney’s Iconic ‘Cinderella’ Adaptations,” OperaWire (2017), accessed August 11, 2023, https://operawire.com/on-this-day-how-rossinis-la-cenerentola-differs-with-disneys-iconic-cinderella-adaptations/.