Joyce DiDonato, the mezzo-soprano singing Cenerentola, is a celebrated Rossini interpreter who won second prize at the 1998 Placido Domingo Operalia Competition.
Composition History
Rossini composed his opera La Cenerentola in just a few days, incorporating music from his earlier works, La gazzetta and Il barbiere di Siviglia.
Composition History
Rossini's La Cenerentola replaces the traditional fairy godmother with a wise tutor, Alidoro, and omits magical elements like the midnight clock and lost slipper.
Recording & Production
This recording of La Cenerentola was made live on November 13, 2004, as a co-production between the Rossini in Wildbad festival and SWR Rundfunkorchester Kaiserslautern.
Performer Biography
Bruno Praticò, the bass-baritone performing Don Magnifico, was awarded the Rossini d'Oro in 1998 for his interpretation of this role at the Rossini Opera Festival.
Compositional Technique
Rossini's La Cenerentola is difficult to classify, but its librettist, Jacopo Ferretti, and the album notes suggest the term "dramma giocoso" (playful drama), similar to Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Compositional Technique
The opera's second act sextet, "Questo è un nodo avviluppato," uses onomatopoeic music to mimic the words, creating a complex, amusing tongue-twister.
