cendrillon

Cendrillon is a French opéra comique composed by Nicolò Isouard with a libretto by Charles Guillaume Étienne after Charles Perrault’s fairy tale. Nominated for the 2019  International Opera Awards “Best Rediscovered Work”, this lesser-known telling of Cinderella from the operatic canon features Cendrillon as a soprano, in which Amanda Austin sang the title role. Dona D. Vaughn’s production was set in the 1920s in an art nouveau style and was commercially recorded with Albany Records. 

Cendrillion is a charming young woman, mistreated by her stepmother, stepsisters, and father. After giving grace to what seems to be a pauper but is in fact, Alidoro, the king’s mystic, Cendrillion receives the magical help needed from Alidoro to attend the Prince’s ball. The Prince swaps identities with his servant Dandini, and the pair masquerade as each other to learn the true natures of the ball’s guests. While Cendrillion’s sisters Clorinde and Tisbe chase the imposter prince, Cendrillion wins the attention of the real Prince through her kindness, authenticity, and their genuine connection. In love, the Prince searches the kingdom after the ball to find Cendrillon and make her his bride.