Gioacchino Rossini: La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

Gioachino Rossini's charming virtuoso fairy-tale for children and adults tells the story of Cinderella a little differently than how we know it from the fairy tales of Charles Perrault.

Rossini's Prince Ramiro is looking for a bride; to make sure that his chosen one is not only after his wealth, he disguises himself as his valet Dandini. One day they arrive in the town of Baron Don Magnifico who has one stepdaughter, the beautiful Angelina (Cinderella), and two of his own daughters, very obnoxious Clorinda and Thisbe. The alleged valet and Angelina immediately fall in love at the first sight…

Later, the ball takes place just like in Perrault's fairy tale, only Rossini decided to replace the lost slipper with a bracelet. Cinderella, whom no one recognizes in her beautiful dress, gives half of the bracelet as a proof of her love to Dandini (actually Prince Ramiro) with the hope of finding the other half. She keeps this in her hand, and then quickly disappears from the ball...

The title role will be performed by Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Molinari, one of the most renowned interpreters of Rossini and Mozart's roles on the contemporary opera scene. In 2019, she starred as Cinderella in director Laurent Pelly's highly successful production at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. 

Petr Nekoranec, soloist of the Opera of the National Theater in Prague, will assume the role of Ramiro. This season, he stars in many beautiful roles in Prague, including Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) or Gounod's Romeo.

Italian baritone Vincenzo Taormina, a welcome guest of many Italian theaters including Milan's La Scala, will assume the role of Don Magnifico, which he has already sung at the Teatro Communale di Bologna and at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse.

A native of Bolivia living in Zurich, José Coca Loza, has been a guest at London's Covent Garden and the Salzburg Festival, among others. He performed as Alidoro in 2018 on tour with Cecilia Bartoli and Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco under the baton of Gianluca Capuano at the Lucerne Festival, the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona and the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid.

The role of Dandini will be sung by Nicola Alaimo, one of the most famous baritones of the contemporary opera scene, a regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Salzburg Festival, Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Paris National Opera, etc.

PKF – Prague Philharmonia will play under the baton of the renowned Polish conductor Łukasz Borowicz. Do not miss this magical evening!