The idea of the new, original staging of Rossini’s
La
Cenerentola belongs to the Novaya Opera’s Art Director Victor Gerasimenko,
who has not only designed the sets and costumes, but also directed the
production.
The special feature is three huge screens that display
animated pictures: a fantastic garden, pavilions with clouds floating through
their pillars, a carriage with a horse, picturesque landscapes, and various
symbols and allegories. The singers seem to move from the real stage space into
the screen. The computer design replicates the colourful set design. The bright
costumes are a stylish compilation of elements belonging to different epochs.
And this makes the story of a noble prince and a slovenly poor girl, Cinderella,
timeless. The story becomes modern and topical.
The plot of Rossini’s opera differs from Perrault’s fairy tale
in that Cinderella has a stepfather instead of a stepmother. The magician
Alidoro stands for the fairy godmother. The Prince disguised as a servant meets
Cinderella before the ball, while Dandini, the Prince’s servant, impersonates
the Prince to test the sincerity of Don Magnifico’s daughters. At the ball
Cinderella does not lose a shoe, but gives the Prince a bracelet, which should
help find her. The operatic fairy tale is full of magic, disguises and comic
situations.
Victor Gerasimenko: “I see what
technologies are used in the world, how quickly the computer industry develops,
and this interest me a lot. Besides, the very story makes it possible to animate
and computerize the sets. The world of magic is made to change instantly; a
fairy tale is about constant transformations. And computer graphics can make it
work.”
Dmitry Volosnikov: “This opera is a firework
of brilliant ensembles, virtuoso passages, tongue twisting recitatives,
memorable melodies, and vivid characters. This creates the atmosphere of a music
feast. And this is Rossini’s genius for you: even melodramatic and lyric
episodes sound light and charming in the context of a comic opera.”