My opera season kicked off last weekend with Rossini’s Cinderella, a terrific start to another year of opera.
Lyric Opera has a winner of a production and the audience, myself included, loved it. The singing across the board was outstanding, and in particular Vesselina Kasarova in the title role. It was a pleasant surprise to hear Cinderella sung by a mezzo-soprano. (Give me the earthy sound of a mezzo any day over the flashy soprano voice.) The acting was strong as well, with Alessandro Corbelli a standout in the comic role of the evil step-father.
Cleverly staged on a set that looks like a life-size 3-D pen and ink drawing, this production included a Lyric first for me–falling rain! The first act, the longer and more humorous of the two, is the stronger, and while the second act is a tad bit anti-climactic, strong performances by all ensured that it was enjoyable all the way through.
2 Things @ Once 