Karine Deshayes during the invitation-to-the-ball scene (photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera)
At 10 a.m. this morning San Francisco Opera (SFO) released its latest Opera is ON offering for streaming through the remainder of the weekend. The opera being offered is Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola with a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti, which provided a relatively free adaptation of Charles Perrault’s fairy tale “Cendrillon” (Cinderella). Rossini composed this opera shortly after the success of The Barber of Seville, and there are many ways in which both the music and the madcap approach to the libretto show that the latter opera reflects the more successful techniques of the former. This is particularly true when everyone is on stage at the same time and the music plays out Rossini’s gift for composing a crescendo that builds slowly but powerfully. (Rossini’s gift for such crescendo writing is already evident in the overture.)
The video capture of this opera was directed by Frank Zamacona during the Fall 2014 season. Gregory Fortner directed a revival (the third) of staging created by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle for the 1969 season. The conductor was Jesús López-Cobos, and Chorus Director Ian Robertson prepared the all-male chorus that advances the plot in a manner reminiscent of a Greek chorus. The orchestral ensemble was modestly scaled, and a fortepiano provided the accompaniment for the recitative passages. Those passages were improvised, and the keyboardist even managed to inject a reference to “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” for those missing the Walt Disney version of Cinderella.
The title role was sung by mezzo Karine Deshayes, complemented by tenor René Barbera as the “charming” Prince Ramiro. The other familiar characters are the two ugly stepsisters, who are given the names Clorinda (soprano Maria Valdes) and Tisbe (mezzo Zanda Švēde). In place of a fairy godmother, Ferretti’s libretto created Alidoro (bass-baritone Christian Van Horn), who is the Prince’s tutor. In addition there is more attention given to Cinderella’s stepfather (bass-baritone Carlos Chausson), given the name Don Magnifico. There are no injunctions about midnight, nor is there a magic carriage. Instead, there is a favorite comedy device in which Ramiro trades roles with his valet Dandini (baritone Efraín Solís) to learn more about what his subjects think of him. It is in his disguised role that he first encounters Cinderella.
The comic devices unfold at an almost breakneck clip, frequently underscored by some delightful bits of mugging coming from the male chorus. Nevertheless, there are still many moments in which the plot grinds to a halt to let the music sort out the complexity of how the narrative has unfolded. Those familiar with The Barber of Seville should have no trouble recognizing when Rossini and Ferretti were recycling previously successful devices, but the humor consistently registers all the same. If the Disney version played up the supernatural, Cenerentola delves instead into the complexities of human nature, suggesting that the happy ending has more to do with being true to yourself than with relying on a fairy godmother.
To some extent Zamacona’s video direction plays a key role in that emphasis on human nature. This video is yet another example of how a camera can reveal subtleties in both posture and gesture that clue in on what a character is really like. Those subtleties are easily lost across the distance between the stage and most seats in the War Memorial Opera House. One can thus appreciate those “complexities of human nature” more readily through the video work than might have been ascertained from being in the audience.
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