Out of nowhere while flicking around the TV channels yesterday I spotted that an opera whose name I didn’t recognise was about to start. Every now and then I like to pretend I’ve got a smidgeon of class about me so I settled down and watched from start to finish a performance of Massenet’s Cendrillon as played out at the Royal Opera House in 2011.
I was captivated by it. This was the first non-English opera I’d ever watched and it was enthralling. Beautiful acting and singing performances by all involved, clever set design, some gorgeous outfits, and a really nice version of the Cinderella story. I’ve no idea if the video I’m embedding here will get yanked at some point but it’s a part of the third act which takes place on the rooftops and sees both Cendrillon and Prince Charming bewitched by a spell cast by the gorgeous fairy godmother that means they can’t see one another; when the spell is finally broken I actually had goosebumps and a slight welling of tears when watching it for the first time.
Cendrillon was played by Joyce DiDonato, the fairy godmother by Eglise Gutiérrez, and Prince Charming – who I thought looked a bit effeminate at the time – turns out to be acted by Alice Coote, so that explains that. It doesn’t quite explain why he looks like Father Dougal McGuire though.
Such an enjoyable opera, we might just look into taking a trip to London at some point and checking one out in the flesh.
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