Cinderella (Prokofiev)

Cinderella
ChoreographerRostislav Zakharov
MusicSergei Prokofiev
LibrettoNikolai Volkov
Based onCinderella
Premiere21 November 1945
Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
CharactersCinderella,
Stepmother,
Stepsisters,
Fairy godmother,
Prince.
GenreNarrative ballet[1]

Cinderella (Russian: Золушка, tr. Zolushka; French: Cendrillon) Op. 87, is a ballet composed by Sergei Prokofiev to a scenario by Nikolai Volkov. It is one of his most popular and melodious compositions, and has inspired a great many choreographers since its inception. The piece was composed between 1940 and 1944. Part way through writing it Prokofiev broke off to write his opera War and Peace. The premiere of Cinderella was conducted by Yuri Fayer on 21 November, 1945, at the Bolshoi Theatre, with choreography by Rostislav Zakharov[2] and Galina Ulanova in the title role. Cinderella is notable for its jubilant music, lush scenery, and for the comic double-roles of the stepmother and the two stepsisters (which can be performed in travesti), more mad than bad in this treatment.

  1. ^ Mary Ellen Snodgrass, The Encyclopedia of World Ballet. Rowman & Littlefield (2015) p. 74
  2. ^ Prokofiev website