Classical Review: La Cenerentola

Venue: Mahon Omniplex (Met Live in HD)

Joyce DiDonato, Rossini, the Metropolitan Opera, and the host at the Wedding Feast at Cana have one thing in common — keeping the best wine until last.

The American coloratura mezzo was a captivating, brilliant Cinderella (pictured) throughout Rossini’s wonderful version of Perrault’s fairy story, at the Met, but, when she came to Rossini’s tour-de-force final aria, beginning ‘Nacqui all’affano’ and ending ‘Non piu mesto’, she released all her brilliant, sparkling coloratura talents in a performance (marvellously accompanied by Fabio Luisi and the Met orchestra) that left the audience spellbound. It was a fitting climax to the Met’s 2013-14 season of Live in HD transmissions, brought to cinemas in Ireland by Classical Arts Ireland.

Of course, ‘Non piu mesto’ is just the icing on the cake in an opera that abounds in memorable numbers. The Met assembled a star-studded cast, with Juan Diego Florez as the Prince (Don Ramiro), and Allesandro Corbelli as the impecunious Don Magnifico, who is trying to marry off one of his step-daughters (Australian, Rachelle Durkin and American, Patricia Risley) to the Prince. Two other superb baritones, Pietro Spagnoli (Dandini, the prince’s batman) and Luca Pisaroni (Alidoro, tutor to the Prince), complete the strong line-up.

Florez brought the house down with his spectacular ‘Si, ritrovarla io giuro’, as did Corbelli with ‘Miei rampolli femmini’, but the highlight of the performance was in the Dandini/Baron duet, ‘Un segredo ‘dimportanza’: their diction, spirit, timing, humour, vocal quality, and sheer brilliance epitomised everything that was good about Cesare Lievi’s pantomimic, OTT production. Everything (sets, lighting, acting, costumes, chorus work) matched the excellence of the music-making.