| Cendrillon | |
|---|---|
| Chamber operetta by Pauline Viardot | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Viardot_Pluchart.jpg) The composer c. 1853 | |
| Language | French |
| Based on | "Cinderella" |
| Premiere | 23 April 1904 the composer's salon |
Cendrillon is a chamber operetta with dialogue in three acts by Pauline Viardot based on the story of "Cinderella". The work, for a cast of seven with piano orchestration, premiered in Viardot's Paris salon on 23 April 1904, when she was 83, and was published later that year. Inspiration for this work was also found in the small play for children "The Snow Queen" by Nicholay Checkhov based on the tale. Historians are unsure of when the opera was composed, although it is thought to be after the death of Viardot's friend (and possibly her lover) Ivan Turgenev in 1883 as he did not write the libretto.[1] It has been described as "a retelling of the Cinderella story with Gallic wit, Italianate bel canto, and a quirkiness all her [Viardot's] own".[2]
The plot remains relatively faithful to Perrault's original fairy tale, but takes a much more lighthearted approach than the other operatic adaptations by Massenet, Rossini and Isouard.[3] The evil stepmother is replaced with a bumbling and clueless stepfather and the Fairy Godmother (La Fée) actually appears as a guest at the party and entertains the guests with a song. A full performance of the opera lasts a little over an hour.
- ^ Jeal 2001, p. 20.
- ^ "Caramoor International Music Festival 2004 – Cendrillon". Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
- ^ Midgette 2004.